REVIEW: Trans Pennine, The Space On North Bridge, Edinburgh Fringe ✭✭✭

Paul T Davies reviews Ian Tucker-Bell's Trans Pennine now playing at The Space on North Bridge at Edinburgh Fringe.

Trans Pennine. The Space on North Bridge, Edinburgh Fringe

18 August 2018

3 Stars

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A family, comprising father, son and daughter, gather to travel to the Yorkshire Dales to scatter the mother's ashes. It's a site where they had many happy holidays, until the last one, which caused a rift between the parents. Dad is still angry, and the fact that Mum's ashes are in a margarine tub indicates that she is not forgiven. The incident revolved around a pair of earrings, the discovery of which led the father to believe his wife was having an affair with the bloke in the next caravan. What she was actually doing was protecting her son, Ben, who likes wearing women's clothes.

Ian Tucker-bell's script is about the silence that poisons families, and has much going for it. It's shot through with a Northern humour, and contains many witty lines. Ben reveals to his father he now wants to live his life as Amy, and, as the play is based on a true story, it's heart is in the right place and it's respectful of that. The cast have great fun with the meta theatre, criticising the writer and breaking the fourth walk-although this is diluted somewhat by the writer also acting in the production! The acting could also do with some light and shade- the Dad is angry, so his one note is to shout loudly throughout. Anger can take many forms.

In saying that, I enjoyed the commitment to the material the company have, and it seems clear they are reaching an audience who have never thought about the trans experience before. And it's worth it for a killer punchline!

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