Disfunction (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Disfunction is the truth or dare card game, with a bit of role play thrown in, that sisters Moira (Maureen Beattie) and Melanie (Maureen Carr) have played, and developed, over the course of their lives. It's high risk stuff, or can be if played with a passion, because it can unearth secrets that are sometimes best left alone.

But the siblings are in dire financial straits, so their goddaughter Tanya (Betty Valencia) has proposed selling Disfunction to a gaming company, and they are to give a demonstration, via Zoom, in a few minutes. Are they ready?

They start playing and secrets and tensions emerge. How far are they prepared to go to get the contract? And are the real sisters as dysfunctional as their game play suggests?

The opening twenty minutes feel a bit too slow, and the games itself is far too confusing for audiences to understand in a 50 minutes drama, but the pace, and laughter, picks up as things get more heated. Secrets and lies, ridiculous dares. While the performances are excellent (although Valencia was often hard to hear properly), and Carr in particular gets to show off her gifts for physical comedy (her cake eating sequence is hilarious), the confusion of the game leaks into the script. It's a ll a bit too muddled to make any real sense.

Fun, enjoyable, but ultimately unsatisfying.

Meetings With The Monk (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Performed and written by Brian James O'Sullivan, this is a semi-autobiographical tale of how he emerged from a low point in his life.

I say "tale", but that would be to minimise the cleverness of the "play" structure. Over the 50 minutes we see 3 Brians - the performer, the writer, and the character - as he both tells and deconstructs his story. Oh, and he even does the introduction that, in a more conventional production, would be done my a member of the Traverse staff.

If this sounds confusing the reality is different, as O'Sullivan guides through exactly what he's doing, providing his own narrator as part of the performance. It's all very meta, but done in such an entertaining way that it enhances rather than hinders. He uses a goodly number of props, and all of the space, right into the audience, to keep things mixed up, but the central story is never neglected.

The character Brian has been depressed, and seeks a way forward by spending a period in a monastery. One of the monks, Brother Felix (who, during the meetings, is played by the recorded voice of another actor, and spurs a bit of improv from O'Sullivan), talks with him, revealing his own humanity, ways of dealing with problems, and prompting Brian to look more within himself for what he needs.

It's a hugely entertaining show, full of laughs, but with some serious points to make. And if there's not really any profound ending, no answer to life, perhaps it offers something better than such trite simplicity. One of the best PPPs I've ever seen.

Pierre Schryer and Sean Gray, Traverse

 Schryer is a versatile fiddler from Ontario, with a large dose of excellent in the French Canadian perciussive skill of podorythmie. Gray is a guitarist, flautist and singer from south west Scotland. Although they've known one another for many years, this is the first time they've toured together. And it looked like a lot of fun for them both.

The first half gave us a strong international flavour, with tunes from France, Canada, Ireland and Scotland, some old, some new, plus a couple of Ayrshire songs, in Lallans, from Gray. And a mix of sensitivity and speed from the playing of both parties. The fiddler dazzles with imagination and variety in his play, the guitarist matching him with deceptively simple accompaniments and surprise moments.

The quality was increased by the third member of the act, who put in a few appearances for appropriate tunes. Danielle Emblom is a Minnesotan step dancer who brings joy to her performance and another layer of percussive accompaniment to the sets. It's just a shame that, in the Traverse bar, only the first couple of rows were able to observe her flying footwork. But the sheer energy and accomplishment of her dancing was obvious to all.

The second set brought further international influences, with a Middle Eastern tune to open, and a Brazilian towards the end. The pace of all three performers increased as things went on, and when they audience called for an encore this one was heartfelt. It helped that both Pierre and Sean are entertaining speakers, give interesting introductions to their material, and frequently fire off one another.

A glorious evening.

Lau, Queens Hall

 A largely similar show to that of April last year, and yet also completely different. The most obvious difference being the addition of Kathryn Joseph to the show. But it's the constant variations and improvisations that constantly refresh even weel kent tunes, and the Martin Green inspired electronic weirdness.

Not ones for the usual format, the trio came on and played a couple of standards from their back catalogue, with the simplicity of fiddle, accordion, guitar and Drever's vocals. Only then did support act Joseph come on, to play keyboard and sing. The first two numbers with the Lau boys doing her backing, then a few on her own. She's got a good voice, and the sparse Piano accompaniment suits her well, but it felt very one paced, mournful even. The interval was welcomed.

The second half was very different, with a long mash of tunes, songs, electronics, ethereal segues, movement of microphone stands, theatrics and even physical comedy. They use the full stage, and the choreography required is complex. Joseph joined them as backing singer, and her voice was well suited to the job, notably on Toy Tigers. It was all as impressive to watch as to listen to.

They ended the night, all four of them, singing the haunting Ghosts, which is as relevant as ever, given the continuing bigotry towards refugees. A beautiful end to an invogorating evening.

Stay (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 A romcom musical with a heavy dosage of sentimentality and emotional manipulation. Sounds a bit too Hollywood for the Traverse? You'd not be far off.

Kit (Daisy Ann Fletcher) and Rowan (Craig Hunter) have met up in a scruffy public park to scatter the funeral ashes of a loved one onto a pond. It's a slightly tense encounter, what with them being past lovers. In fact they were engaged before she left him. So why are they doing this together? And are they're affections for one another still alive?

While much of the script is in natural dialogue, there are several songs - of the tune free variety so beloved by the modern musical. Even a bit of dancing. Both have decent voices, with Fletcher the pick of the pair, both for her singing and acting performances. The music doesn't really add anything, and I found myself getting bored during those parts of the action, and waiting for things to move along.

Just when it looks like we're moving towards a predictable ending a twist arrives which Hollywood would feel very much at home with), although there have been clues along the way. The emotional manipulation comes on strong at this point. There is some effort to provide a few thoughts on the subject of grief, but song isn't really the vehicle for something that serious.

There were some strong jokes scattered through the 50 minutes, and a well acted scene where some ducks exert an influence, but overall I was glad to see the end arrive.  

The Sheriff of Kalamaki (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Dion is the 'Sheriff' of the Zakynthos holiday town.  He is because Big Yannis says he is (and because he asked for the title), and he's there to be the local law enforement.  That his duties include looking out for mainland police and the excise hasn'r raised his suspicions.  He's been on the island a long, long tiem, done many jobs, had a lot of drink and drugs, and he loves it all.  Doesn't he?  His world is so beautiful (while admitting he'd love to describe it all, if only he had the mind of a poet) and people respect him.  He's somone in the town.

So why is he so keen to hide away when he here's there's a man, a fellow Scot, looking for him?  Especially when it turns out that that man is his long estranged brother, come to save him from his alcoholic poverty.  Or is he?  As we hear about the family history it's clear there are other motives at play on both sides.

They're played by real life brothers Paul and Stephen McCole, who take Douglas Maxwell's clever script along at a cracking pace.  It's an interesting (and demanding) work structurally, with a long monologue from each sibling, broken by short peiods of dialogue in the middle and ending.  Which works well, because the overriding theme is the myths and delusions we tell ourselves so that we can emerge as the heroes of our own stories, and the doubts and realities that spoil the perfection of our tales.  The monologues allow the characters to say who they want to be seen as, and the imperfections in those pictures.

Both performances are impressive.  Paul's Dion is funny, friendly, immediately likeable in spite of all of his obvious flaws.  Stephen plays brother Ally as a man of god, buttoned up, hypocritical.  Both are delusional about their true sevels.  But aren't we all?

Coast (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Following the death of one of their mothers, two half brothers agree to go on a road trip to finally get to know one another, having grown up totally apart.  Kay (Beruce Khan) is the elder, resentful of the father that deserted him and his late mum, and had to grow up too soon.  Jay (Hamzah Aftab) is still, he thinks, the rebel of his youth, carelss of society's conventions.  The unlikely couple set off, with the conversation stilted and the silences awkward, hoping that they will bond along the way.  Well, Kay does.

Car problems mean things don't quite go as planned, forcing the brothers closer, and the conversation, and the admissions, become more and more personal.  Histories are explored, resentments aired, parents analysed, until a crisis grabs their joint attention and they are forced to make a decision that affects them both.  

The scrpit has a few stumbles along the way, and Khan is the more convincing of the two, but it's an enjoyable romp, often funny, and sometimes moving.  Was Philip Larkin right about your parents?  You'd think so from Coast.

Hannah Rarity, Traverse

 A rarity indeed, for this ended up feeling like one of the most perfect music gigs I have been to. A stunning voice, backed by sparse but thoughtful accompaniment, plenty of laughs and personality, an enthusiastic , appreciative audience who enjoyed a bit of a singalong. What more could you ask for?

With John Lowrie on piano, and Innes White providing guitar and backing vocals, Rarity sang somgs from both her solo albums, and a few more besides.  The purity of her voice is enhanced by the simplicity of the accompaniment, but both musicians got a chance to do sols that showed what they're capable of.  And Hannah is a relaxed performer, informative on the songs and often funny.  Plenty of emotion too, as she introduced Scotland Yet, and we remebered what might have been.

Wonderful.