Harry, Underbelly Cowgate – Review

Pros: The script is intelligent and funny.

Cons: What the girls scribble on the floor can’t be seen from the back rows.
Harry, Underbelly Cowgate – Review

Summary

Rating

80

Excellent

A happy play about the sad friendship between two die-hard fans of Harry Styles.

Caitlin and Sophie take the life of Harry Styles very seriously. They know everything about him: where he was born, where he lived as a child, where he went to school, and who his friends are. A bit of Google stalking (let’s call it research, shall we?) provides a lot of valuable information about him. Most importantly, Harry likes to share his life with his fans, tweeting about what he’s eating, watching or thinking about.

The girls meet during their first year at university and immediately create a bond over One Direction and its frontman Harry Styles. He’s everyone’s favourite because he’s cute, young and “achievable”. He feels like “one of them” and meeting him in person is their ultimate life goal.

The glossy friendship between the freshers, though, becomes tarnished when admiration turns into obsession and Caitlin does something silly to follow her idol’s path. She struggles to find her space within society and, when graduation approaches, she cracks under the pressure of adult responsibilities. A chalkboard (and the floor) are used to offer context to the years passing whilst, confronted by the difficulties of growing-up and clinging on to the wrong reasons to keep afloat, Caitlin is left behind by Sophie, who has her future paved as a lawyer.

This vivid coming-of-age tale – written by Caitlin McEwans and performed together with Sophie McQuillan – shows the moment many of us might have experienced, when the once promising idea of a career in the arts fails to turn into a real job. The exact breaking point is depicted from an original angle and, due to the young age of the cast and creatives, feels autobiographic.

Aiming to “find complex, engaging drama in what might seem ordinary”, theatre company Poor Michelle delivers the fresh and relatable account of one of the hardest transitions in life. McEwan’s sense of humour is priceless. Don’t blink or you’ll miss one of the many exquisite jokes she has in store.

Author: Caitlin McEwan
Director: Ellie Gauge
Producer: Poor Michelle, Theatre N16 and Eastlake Productions
Box Office: 03333 444167
Booking Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/harry
Booking Until: 27 August 2017