Blackbird @ Summerhall

Performed by the award-winning Scottish Borders-based company Firebrand in conjunction with Heart of Hawick, David Harrrower's Blackbird deftly handles the theme of paedophilia. It succeeds in keeping the audience hooked, never divulging too much information, with its Pintersque elliptical dialogue which reaches an illuminating yet perturbing crescendo. 

The play is confrontational in its handling of paedophilia; under the stark lighting the audience are presented with the candid aftermath of an illicit love affair, occuring when Una was 12 and Ray was 40. Una (Romana Abercromby) tracks down Ray at work (Greg Wagland) 15 years after their affair, spotting his photo in a magazine. Frantically he ushers her into a fittingly filthy canteen, and from there their arduous journey into the past unfolds. The power dynamic between the two oscillates constantly throughout, which lends itself to the complexities of such a taboo. Under Richard Baron’s direction, Wagland and Abercromby give an electrifying and passionate performance. Their complicated and murky emotions are conveyed without the use of nudity.

Despite the thematic gravity, the play appeals to the modern audience in the way it is peeled back to its bare bones. Firebrand presents us with a shameless man and a distraught woman in a shambolic room, without the frills and flounces. The rudimentary components make room for the actors’ surge of fervid emotion, taking place in real time.