Paul T Davies reviews From Today Everything Changes now playing at the Space on North Bridge at the Edinburgh Fringe
From Today Everything Changes. Space on North Bridge, Edinburgh Fringe
19 August 2018
3 Stars
The Orange Works are presenting two LGBTQ plays on the Fringe this year. In rep with Trans Penine, they have revived last year's play, From Today Everything Changes. Before Chris's wife died she made him promise to be himself. Accepting he is gay is part of that promise, and the play charts his coming out, his first steps into dating, and opening up to his daughter.
Not every play needs its protagonist to be on a microphone confronting the audience with the harsh realities of modern life. I mean no disrespect when I say that this is a sweet, traditional, tender play, and it feels very personal to the writer. There are hardly any parts that explore the older gay male experience, and huge kudos to the company for telling this under told tale. Although there is some opposition towards Chris from his daughter, it does feel that the path is a little too smooth, and the dramatic stakes are not raised to a great height.
However, I think the point of the play is to tell a romantic tale, and here it succeeds. I actually could have done with a longer story, exploring a bit more the age difference between the two men and societies prejudice towards that.
BOOK NOW FOR FROM TODAY EVERYTHING CHANGES
Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, (he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia), teacher and theatre reviewer! His plays include Living with Luke, (UK tour 2016), Play Something, (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Drayton Arms Theatre, London 2018), , (2019), and now The Miner’s Crow, which won the inaugural Artist’s Pick of the Fringe Award at the first ever Colchester Fringe Festival 2021. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. He is the founder member of Stage Write, a Colchester based theatre company, and his acting roles include Rupert in How We Love by Annette Brook, first performed at the Vaults Festival 2020 and revived at the Arcola and at Theatre Peckham in 2021. Follow: @stagewrite_
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