EdFringe Review: Cathy

Eilidh Loan’s Cathy, inspired by her own grandmother’s ‘unique’ approach to grief upon losing a spouse, would (and possibly will) make for a fine wee Christmas play. It has all the requisite parts: a miserable main character, Cathy (Elaine C Smith), with a family in dire need of reconciliation; an improbable lifeboat in the shape of the local charity shop; and an unlikely agent of change in the shape of the shop’s manager Lizzie (Sally Reid). Toss in an expectant granddaughter Amy (Chloe Hodgson) with a December due date, and there’s really no escaping its festive sensibilities.

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But it’s hard to launch new Christmas plays, such is the demand for new musicals and the seasonal panto epidemic, so the Fringe is the next best place. So is it a good Christmas play?

On the whole, I’d have to say it’s not half bad. Indeed, this is a perfectly well-written domestic drama, riddled with first-class sitcom humour, touched with darkness, but ultimately life-affirming. Elaine C Smith brings real dramatic weight to the central role, a matriarch keenly missing her life-partner, and striking out at everyone around her like a wounded animal. Prisoners will not be taken, not her devastated daddy’s-girl daughter Flo (Michele Gallagher), not her son-in-law, the nice-but-uncomplicated Colin (Alan Orr); not even her pregnant granddaughter. Cathy will not be coming to spend Christmas with them, and they needn’t call. Perhaps the dialogue could do a little more to indicate past, happier relations, but we’re meeting them at their lowest ebb, so I’ll give this a pass.

Alone, Cathy despairs; the Catholic faith which has meant so much, offering her nothing. Then she takes her departed husband’s things down to the charity shop where Amy works, and somehow, never really leaves.

Sitcom Humour Meets Dark Domestic Drama

The cast are uniformly cracking, making the most of Loan’s comedy-infused script. Acting as Director too, Loan shows a sure hand, giving space where it’s needed, but knowing when to let matters spin towards catastrophe, or indeed eucatastrophe. There is the odd moment when the pursuit of a big laugh threatens to imbalance the play’s darker moments, but on the whole the dialogue feels natural, and well observed.

However, Loan’s smartest move may be the creation of Sally Reid’s likeably silly shop manager. Reid is excellent, festooned in crystals, happily confabulating singers and songs, and a constant source of upbeat energy. She’s not the first to wear a cheery mask to hide inner sadness, or to find meaning in service to others. She is also the play’s necessary catalyst of change, hiding in plain sight, until Cathy takes the time to really look.

All of this plays out on Kenny Miller’s rather intriguing set, horizontally bisected, and hidden behind curtains until required. The opening funeral scene aside, it really only has to make two rooms: Cathy’s home, and the charity shop where the play spends most of its time once Cathy walks through the doors. The pushing down of the ceiling certainly adds to the feeling of a family under pressure, but a final reveal, whilst sweet, is a tad underwhelming.

Indeed, I found myself worrying that Cathy was going to underwhelm overall; that it would sink beneath escalating sentimentality. Yet, in the end, this is no Hallmark production: the shadow of tragedy hangs over proceedings until very near the final moments. It may be August at the Fringe, but Loan has crafted a bittersweet, big-hearted delight that could become a recurring seasonal staple.

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