Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Pillock
Knock and Nash
Genre: Comedy, New Writing, Theatre
Venue: Assembly Rooms
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Jay is fast and funny, by day a wannabe actor making do with medical role plays and by night chasing connection and fulfilment and settling for raw dating app hook ups which leave him feeling hollow and lonely. Oh, and he has ADHD which makes him flighty, forgetful and prone to breaking things and maybe people, but mostly himself. A potential Mr Right, Eugene, gums and teeth in the right proportion, executes a meet cute which has Jay hook, line and sinker. Seemingly a grown up, and Jay is all in, but will this Prince Charming lead to happy ever after Love Actually style? Pillock is a show which explores adult themes.
Review
Up and coming Director Scott Le Crass (The Stage Creative West End Debut short list) and writer performer Jordan Tweddle have between them created a tightly choreographed performance, brightening up this utilitarian black box with stage furniture like giant Liquorice Allsorts.. This is shifted around at speed to support quick changes of scene – Jay’s workplace, a seedy club toilet, Eugene the love interest’s swanky pad – but also a clever motif for the kaleidoscope that is Jay’s brain. Tweddle delivers a elastic physical performance too, like a cat he can be kittenish and frisky, then all languid limbs melting over the furniture. If there is any chink in the repertoire then it needs a tad more confidence with Eugene’s portrayal – both physically and in voice.
Tweddle’s ability to turn on a sixpence to deliver the breadth of his emotional range is dizzying and at times an uncomfortable though compelling watch. Crying on stage is often unrealistic and hammy but not here. He has great comedy chops too and Jay is an instantly likeable cheeky chappy with a fine collection of one liners. Customers in his home town high street “look like the Monsters Inc cast are on day release.” and on Eugene’s dining tastes – “he’s never been to Nandos which is a red flag if I’ve ever heard one.”
The show is given a 16+ advisory for potential triggers (destructive behaviours, potential coercion) and adult themes. I hope the show has got a bright future and if there is room for tweaks then the ending is perhaps too pat, a resolution that feels unearned. But this is a cracking script that Tweddle has developed. And he delivers a stellar performance. This is the show of Edinburgh 2024 I have been recommending to anyone looking for a beautifully crafted and seriously well executed funny show.
