FringeReview Scotland 2025
This is a Gift
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Genre: Drama, New Writing, Solo Show
Venue: Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Festival: FringeReview Scotland
Low Down
Though a solo piece of theatre, we get to meet not just Zoe but her father and the mystical people who hand over the gift of turning everything to gold: Sylvain and Dennis. A simple set envelopes the tragedy which begins with a daughter’s relief of being released from the pressure of exams. It’s a performance with some innovation wrapped in standard format.
Review
Blythe Jandoo in This is a Gift – Photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Midas’ daughter Zoe introduces us to the domestic bliss of life with her dad, after the stress of her final exam. To celebrate she goes on a night out after which she comes across a mysterious stranger slumped over her own front door. She compassionately takes him in to discover her father welcoming him with open arms, and a feast. It leads to that gift that is given without thought of the responsibility that comes with it, but it looks like dad knew that this may have been the answer to his financial prayers.
Author, Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir’s introduction in the programme tells of how This is a Gift flowed when she sat to write it. This is clearly a love letter to Scotland, Leith and to the other areas of her life that have supported and influenced her.
It provides an alternate view, not an original one, of the effect of Midas’s gift indicative of how he was so blinded by greed. Sigfúsdóttir updating it to the present day does not bring much. Zoe, our protagonist and guide, admirably narrates the story of how she wants to leave school and get into university – like many do. Her father’s business in Leith, indicated by burnt toast being scrapped into a bin with a red-letter letter is struggling – like many are. That lack of finance is solved when he touches some of that toast and turns into a grand’s worth of gold – like many don’t, won’t and never will.
Zoe, tentatively played by Blythe Jandoo, is at sea at the whole enterprise. Jandoo similarly seems to be reluctant to overly commit to the narrative. There was a degree of nervousness in the performance and given that it’s an hour and 20 without interval you can understand that. It feels like it needs to settle and have a run to find the tones and cadences. I felt that Jandoo had a lack of confidence in where the story was taking her.
That is perhaps because it had a fairly linear plot and was directed by Sam Hardie with a lack of tonal challenge. It is crying out for more light and dark. There’s a lack of colour scheme in the delivery which I think is down to the fact that the performance required you to follow with the actor rather than be challenged by the thinking and the views expressed – it is not a story filled with unfamiliarity or strongly expressed emotional depth.
The set has different levels in a circular motion which suits the piece. What I found really interesting that set designer, Natalie Fern has done is the tumbling of the golden sand like material. It happens when Zoe is in the shop with dad, which was highly visually effective.
What also jarred was that consistently Zoe had to be in the same room as a naked father, but this was never referred to – it was set modernly and that WOULD invite some comment – it was odd. This was like a take a chance performance in a prestigious venue. It was worth the support and the ability to develop further. As it stands now, it does not quite hold the attention it deserves to be considered fully rounded.
