Written by Rab C Nesbitt creator Ian Pattison, and incorporating Neil Bratchpiece’s YouTube persona, The Wee Man: Mr and Mrs, finds the hard-to-love rapping ‘ned’ out of jail after a 3-year stint, and coming home to his wife Marie (Dionne Frati), and their kid, Cardy B.
Bratchpiece slips into character almost as if he’s been playing it for well over a decade, whilst Frati makes a good, scrappy match. She’s not sure she wants him back, her mum thinks she’s mad, whilst he’s expecting open arms and a comfy home.
Neither is an angel. The Wee Man needed a blood test to confirm his paternity, but it’s safe to say that Marie is the far, far more likeable of the pair.
The Wee Man’s complaints about her “eggbox” flat and lack of sexual interest might get the laughs, but all I found myself thinking was ‘ungrateful pr*ck’. Frankly, these sorts of belters walk amongst us, and the more frequently the women in their lives kick them out, the better.
Fortunately, Marie has sharp elbows and does just that – at least for a little.
Pattison certainly hasn’t lost his knack for authentic Scottish dialogue. It flows easily here, never forced or shoved in just for the sake of the play. The Wee Man’s memories of jail provide some hairy stories, whilst his continual attempts to get Marie to sleep with him get plenty of laughs in a sort of ‘please boot him in the testicles’ way. Rab C might have been a weirdly lovable waster, but The Wee Man can absolutely do one.
“Pattison certainly hasn’t lost his knack for authentic Scottish dialogue.”
Maybe that’s me just being older and seeing past the patter and “pish” as he describes it, but I like to think Pattison is simply refusing to make him likeable. Because when he reaches the crisis point and finally meets his kid, it radically humanises him, without making him a hero. In fact, he knows he’s a tw*t, and doesn’t want his kid to grow up like him.
In the end, this was a grittier piece of writing than I expected, well-made and well-acted, but maybe not the comedy folks will expect.
As a result, though The Wee Man: Mr and Mrs is a solid play – the dialogue really is first class – a better balance between daft humour and social realism will be needed if it’s to find a life after the Fringe.
Show details
Venue: Venue 5b: The Stand Comedy Club 2, 16 North St Andrew Street, EH2 1HJ (Google Maps)
Date(s): Mon 18 Aug to Sun 24 Aug (7 shows)
Time(s): 2:05pm (60 mins)
Age recommendation: 16+
Price: From £12 (concessions available)
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