Words: Libby Taylor
Image: Vlada Nazarova & Lana Nemchenko
3 stars
You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next) is a semi-autobiographical show about Keron Day, exploring the revolving door of Personal Assistants in his life and the impact this has on him. The openness in his storytelling gives a depth and realness to the piece, yet the script and acting would have been more impactful through some more refinement to avoid overdramatization and to make emotive/heightened scenes more natural. The moments of breaking the fourth wall to explain upcoming scenes and incorporate storytelling that didn’t otherwise fit the chronology of the piece felt a bit jarring and unnecessary. The audience could have worked out the context the actors were explaining without these interludes and where additional information felt necessary, it would have been better to work out how and where to style these moments to avoid us being taken out the world of the play.
Nonetheless, Day had great comedic timing, particularly in moments when he broke character for asides acknowledging stage mishaps or to strengthen already funny moments. With this skill and the content being autobiographical, this suggests that the piece might have been stronger as a one-man storytelling or stand-up show. The accompanying music was performed by talented artists achieving gorgeous harmonies, but it often felt a bit on the nose. The reason for their (and everyone’s) being on stage throughout the piece wasn’t clear and felt a bit distracting from the storytelling, rather than enhancing it. A lot of potential, just in need of some more dramaturgical guidance.
You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next)
The Old Lab @ Summerhall
15:00
6-29 Aug (excluding 12th, 18th, and 25th)