 Four actors play twenty-one characters across one night in the chaos of a nightclub cloakroom. At Loose Threads centre is “Danny’s brother’s boy”, played by Joe Ryder, a passive, melancholic twenty-something whiling away his nights in a basement, guarding jackets and lost property while life passes him by.
Something tragic has happened to him that remains unknown and in fractured nuggets to the audience. Instead, he hides underground, both literally and emotionally, drifting between idle thoughts about how cranes are built and the far less abstract problem of dealing with drunken, unpredictable guests. Over the course of the evening, he meets an unforgettable parade of visitors that are all brought to life by Menna Hyde, Daisy Smither, and Louis Mockler. Their transformations are impressive: from co-workers to hen parties, a Louis Theroux impressionist, yuppies to a divorce, cocaine-fuelled Sia fans to bachorlette parties belligerent stag dos. At first, these characters arrive at a measured pace, giving us time to learn their stories and their quirks. But as the night unravels, the pace quickens, stories begin to overlap, and the comic energy spikes with the the actors changing genders, costumes, and personalities in a whirlwind of theatrical virtuosity. Loose Threads is more than just a rapid-fire showcase of comic skill it’s a meditation on what it means to stay still while the world hurtles past. The play’s emotional core lies in its literal and metaphorical basement: a young man hiding and avoiding the world above as he processes his grief and he can watch life without participating in it. The constant stream of visitors is a reminder that life keeps moving, whether or not we choose to join it. Lee Hutchison 4/5 Loose Threads Venue: Haldane Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall Dates: August 9, 10, 11 Time: 1715 Tickets: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/loose-threads |
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