Pleasance Courtyard – Beneath 

Aug 11 – 30 (all except Monday’s)

16:15

£7.50 – £11

Sitting a top a metal stool, Tom Stuart impressively portrays Aqua, an alcoholic drag queen and an array of other characters including Jack, a hooker and a crack addict. The switches from one character to the next, changing in both voice and mannerisms are so skilful you’d be forgiven for thinking that this wasn’t just a one man show. But it is, and for that success and a performance which is nothing short of fantastic Tom Stuart deserves great praise.

Dramatic, raw and moving. Complete with fish tank boobs, a sparkly dress, stilettos and a blonde wig we see Aqua spiral out of control in this dark, honest portrayal of a life of sex, drugs, love and desperation. With little more than a stool and a table, the stage framed by strips of coloured florescent light, this depiction is electric. Extreme elation and highs are swiftly followed by trouble and pain. Show girl performances and nightclub meltdowns, Aqua is vulnerable and destructive. Hilarious yet tragic and so real concerned faces fill the room.

Descriptions of New York city plus clever stage and prop use transport the audience straight to the setting and you really believe Aqua is where she describes. A script of both conversation and out loud thinking, we get an insight into Aqua’s inner thoughts making the play both intimate and soulful. A mesmerising show which will smack you in the face and demand your attention. I couldn’t recommend this show enough. Don’t miss it. FIVE STARS

*

Reviewer : Louise Mason