Imagine you wake up, it’s a normal day…..but is it really? Imagine waking up and not knowing that every decision you make that day will change your life drastically – or end it. Chronic Insanity bring to the fringe a tale of two people’s life’s that inherently change the others drastically.
Fran progresses through the worst day of her life. Brendan rewinds through his last day alive. As time spirals back and forth and each of their days unravel in opposite directions, they will soon meet in the middle, and we’ll find out what caused Brendan’s final day alive and how Fran ended her worst day ever.
The play was extremely well written. Written by Doug Deans , it perfectly tells a story both in real time and in reverse. The text itself is so clever and captivating. The lyrical, melodic dialogue was grasping to listen to and dragged you into the monologues. Both stories are detailed, full of similes and metaphors, written like a novel almost. The way the stories are unravelled and the reveal of them crossing paths is executed expertly and the the switch of pace between the characters is smooth and works very nicely.
The synthetic beats in the background composed by Joe Strickland adds such an atmosphere to the room that it feels like the show almost needs that ambience as it lends to the stories so much. The sound effects and instrumentals build the tension alongside the performers and constantly controls the pacing of the play.
Joe Matty was fantastic as Brendan. His energy and charisma was second to none throughout the performance as he recreates his last day alive. His character journey was matched perfectly by his emotion in his physical and vocal performance. His physicality was a big asset to his skill set as it was great for his stage presence and his storytelling. I think at the very start Matty’s mic may have been a bit loud, as his opening to the show and his monologue was a bit overbearing, however this was quickly rectified and the levelling was sorted for his microphone. Overall a very solid and well rounded performance.
Ruth Page was phenomenal as Fran. Her acting skill set was showcases fantastically as she utilised her vocal range, facial and physical expressions to emphasise her story and really show how bad her character’s day was turning out to be. She had a great way of engaging the audience – in fact both actors were great at drawing the audience in, using the stage to close the gap and keeping the attention of the crowd on them. Page had a more comedic first half to her journey and her timing was impeccable. Page managed to get a laugh when she needed to and her charisma amazing throughout.
In conclusion, 24,23,22 is a whirlwind of heat of the moment decisions that cause hilarious moments, dramatic turning points and clever, creative storytelling that is brought to life in front of you by some excellent acting.
24,23,22 is being performed from August 10th-13th & 15th-27th @ 2:10pm at Underbelly Cowgate – Iron Belly. Get your tickets here https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/24-23-22
Theatre Scotland 
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