Just Checking

It's easy to understand why Blythe Duff has taken matters into her own hands when it comes to her return to theatre.

Yes, she won plaudits for her role in the National Theatre of Scotland's Be Near Me and is gearing up for a New York stint in the same company's Beautiful Burnout – two gigs many actresses would give their eye teeth for – but it'll take more than supporting roles to shake off the “(Taggart)” tag.

Duff has therefore teamed up with writer Karen McLachlan and director Liz Carruthers to produce a one-woman showcase for her talent as a comic actress. It's testament to this talent, rather than anything else, that Just Checking is a watchable 70 minutes and its heroine – OCD-afflicted risk assessor Izzy Grant – a flawed everywoman rather than a neurotic cliché.

The programme notes speak of an organic rehearsal process and ruthless script revisions, and unfortunately this is all too evident in the structurally flawed final product, which veers off into theatre-in-education territory and then descends into ridiculousness before grasping for a conclusion. The kitchen set is gorgeous, but it can't compensate for these shortcomings.

While the play seems caught between offering a sympathetic portrayal of OCD and playing for laughs, Duff's performance makes it an entertaining enough diversion, if ultimately an unsatisfying one.