Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
Four stars
Dreams don’t so much fade away as melt in a sticky puddle of liquid sugar in Laurie Motherwell’s new play, as the would-be Mr Whippys of its title attempt to make a million on the back of a second-hand ice cream van, some leftover cones and the dodgiest of high interest loans.
Sean has just buried his mother after dropping out of Uni, and doesn’t know which way to turn. Enter Daro, Sean’s old school pal and wannabe wheeler-dealer with big ideas and a mouth to match. Where Sean sees an ice cream cone as a nostalgic totem of a more innocent time, Daro recognises it as an opportunity.
Things don’t work out as planned, alas, as Sean and Daro attempt to tap into some hitherto untapped market like some junior KLF - justified, but far from ancient - and wind up after hours on the edge of clubland.
Motherwell’s Glasgow dramady is an all too familiar tale of working class aspiration thwarted by the world of big business and the corrupt end of capitalism in a free market economy. As Sean and Daro attempt to infiltrate that world, the play says much too about friendship amongst young men brought up in a world where machismo rules and emotions come second.
This is delivered with a lightness of touch in Robert Softley Gale’s Traverse Theatre production, which sees Sean Connor as Sean and Cameron Fulton as Daro spar with gallus charm aplenty, with the van itself centre stage in Karen Tennent’s design.
In tone, Motherwell’s play harks back to the comic charm of Bill Forsyth’s 1980s films, which did much to counterpoint Glasgow’s hard man image. There is even a fleeting reference to Forsyth’s own ice cream romance, Comfort and Joy. This is a knowing treat in a pre-summer confection that can’t be licked as it falls just the right side of sickly sweet.
The Herald, April 17th 2022
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