Herbal Remedies

Herbal Remedies, written by respected writer James Kelman, could easily borrow Shakespeare’s title of Much Ado about Nothing.

In it, two transient friends, noted in the programme as Mate and Crutch, walk into a park and talk about... well, nothing. The dynamics of their discussion changes drastically when a third transient, a woman who may or may not be named Clarissa, engages in their conversation, which lasts 75 minutes and is played in real time.

To try and find a plot in the piece completely misses the point. Like any conversation between friends, the dialogue goes in unpredictable spirals. The characters speak about life, marriage, children, education and the health service, to name but a few of the topics. And like any conversation with friends, it is next to impossible to remember everything discussed.

All three performances are superb. Each actor manages to create and physicalise people we instantly care about. They are engaging, energetic and immediately likable. Andy Arnold’s work as director is solid. He allows the actors to engage with the script and balances the stage to highlight the constant changes in dynamics between the characters.

Hazel Blue’s set of a typical park, with trees, fallen leaves and a graffiti-covered statue, and Mark Ritchie’s lighting design are both effective in their simplicity, functional and yet noticeable when needed.

If there’s a slight flaw, it is in the script’s repetitive nature. At times the pace flags and topics are repeated with little change in scope. However, it seems unfair to pick on this as most real conversation falls into this very trap.

Arnold’s sure-fire direction and the three wonderful performances more than make up for the script’s minute flaw; and when Kelman’s script offers engaging dialogue, which it almost always does, it succeeds on many levels: heart-breaking, provocative and, as the publicity states, ‘very, very funny’.