Written by Alan McHugh
Directed by Sally Reid
Review by Dominic Corr
Gilded Balloon at the Museum: Tickets
For those in the room familiar with the context of Chemo Savvy, to know the ins and outs and history of its creation, to finally see this production on the stage sits heavy on the chest. Presented, in part, as a memory to Andy Gray – Scottish stage hero and everyone's best Pantomime pal, Alan McHugh's script is the culmination of an interrupted chapter to Grant Stott and Gray's 2018 Fringe performance of The Junkies, which closed due to Gray's diagnosis, and since then the idea of Chemo Savvy was the pair's determination to return to the Fringe.
But even outside of the numerous references and tributes to the great man, Chemo Savvy is a healing piece of laughter-induced medicine for anyone in the audience who has even the most passing of brushes with cancer or terminal illness. The script captures Gray's persona outside the obvious. Yes, the clues and snippets of Gray's one-liners, the superheroes littered around the set, and the caped crusader's final stand all speak to how much of a hero Gray was to people – but McHugh's raucous script is constructed with Gray's lustre and comedy in mind. And really, Grant Stott, Jordan Young, and Gail Watson are three of the only people who could grasp the work so intimately. Sally Reid's light-hearted touch to the direction ensures everyone excels in what they do best and keeps the heavier moments poignant without inviting misery.
Stott plays the beleaguered, world-weary Rab a wee bit too well there, the grumbles making way for a genuine understanding with the audience of a man's loneliness and inability to process either grief or their own perceived failures. Diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a form of Leukaemia, Rab's estranged relationships with his younger brother Will (Young) and ex-fiancée (Watson) lead him into a hallucinogenic adventure which revisits his youth and unfinished business in failing to help his mother following her cancer diagnosis.
But for the intense subject matter, the trio find lashings of comedy – just like life. Where if they didn't smile, they'd cry. The musical interludes and dream sequence all meld surprisingly well into the harder moments, with Stott and Young often sharing magnificently touching scenes together, no doubt a rigid core of honesty to their emotions. Watson's fire as a multitude of characters keeps the pacing going to its understandably happy and a touch hopefully neat ending, littered among the small but canny stage design, which is practical and serves as a treasure trove of Gray secrets.
Ending with one final smile from Gray, a nudge and wink as the Lone Ranger turns into the stage hero many of us grew up with - audiences see their Panto Pals in a new light, demonstrating their more dramatic capabilities, with genuine emotional connection to the production, are right to let the tears fall. Chemo Savvy, for its pun-filled script and emotion, is a piece for the people of Scotland, but above it all, it is a tribute to our NHS, our Andy, and a cathartic deep breath of life.
Review by Dominic Corr (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The List, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League, and The Wee Review. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic's Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
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