Review: A Play A Pie & A Pint - Jack

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love, loss with a dash of waspish gay camp and man’s best friend at its heart is this week’s lunchtime offering at The Traverse.

‘Dogs aren’t just for Christmas,’ declares the light box that bridges the top of Kenny Miller’s simple but effective set design - a reflective slash cloth and plain white chair on a small, raised platform with a floor made up of multi-coloured planks arranged in rainbow form.

A 50-minute monologue delivered with pace and passion by Lawrence Boothman, Jack is a tale of bereavement and of coping, or not, as the case may be.

An unwanted Christmas present, Jack is a pet for a reluctant dog owner from his partner, the love of his life. This piece, the diary of a year in his life.

Liam Moffat’s dialogue starts lightly enough, raising laughs with an instantly recognisable, if predicable, character. A riposte to dog-lovers everywhere, the script quickly takes a more sinister turn, sending Jack and his owner spiralling through the the stages of sudden loss. There’s disbelief, denial, anger and if not quite a happy ending, one that proves satisfying enough.

Along the way, like the character on stage, there’s little new ground covered in this tale - the pain of loss, the invisibility of life as a gay partner, a love of Robin Williams, Grindr hook ups, betrayal and the old fall back, ‘carpe diem,’ are all ticked off.

These tropes are deftly dealt with by Boothman, who flits from moments of mania to raw grief, tears welling in his eyes, Gareth Nicholls’ direction ensuring his quick-fire delivery weaves them together seamlessly.

In all, Jack is an enjoyable, if unchallenging bite-sized piece of theatre that perfectly fits the A Play, A Pie and a Pint tradition, just remember to get there early to enjoy your refreshments first. The entertainment starts 1pm.   

Runs until Saturday 2 March. Tickets here.