On the chase, hunting the prolific Butterfly Butcher – Detective Richard finds himself hunting the unhuntable. Tracking a killer with no M.O and no patterns to hunt towards lead. As the butcher terrorises London, Richard has to catch his killer, without falling into the out of his own madness. No one is safe. Everyone should be scared.
Naysay Productions bring their new debut show to the 10Dome, Pleasance Dome for this year’s fringe. Chasing Butterflies is an intense one man show that follows lead Detective Richard on the hunt for serial killer, The Butterfly Butcher.
Written by Ella Seber-Rajan, the script itself is intense, at times confusing but overall very well written. The internal monologues get the audience grasped to what Richard is truly thinking, but also leaving them wondering where the story is about to go.
The set was simple and in this case could have been amped up a little. Based in the office of the detective, all there was, was an evidence board and a chair, with files scattered everywhere. This is perfect for the manic pacing and downward spiral that Richard eventually takes, but a desk or something to fill the space would have allowed the performer more chance to utilise the stage and have more to work with, whilst making the setting for the play more relatable and dragging the audience into the world a bit more.
The performance itself by Abraham Botha was excellent. Very fast paced, really good changing of pace and levels throughout and Botha did really well controlling the audience and utilising the space he had due to the lack of set. Botha had a good presence and told the story with all the tension and suspense you would want, leaving the audience not fully trusting him just yet. Very good, stand out performance.
Without giving much away, the overall story was a great true crime thriller, however, due to some clarity issues and jumping back and forth towards the end of the investigation, the conclusion left some questions of what actually happened with Detective Richard and the Butterfly Butcher and the investigation. Some solid clarification at the end to round off the story would completely get the audience honed in to the big climax of the investigation and have a more satisfied ending to the show, rather than a good ending, but slightly unclear one.
In conclusion, Chasing Butterflies may need some tweaks storyline wise, however, it is a very intense and compelling show that keeps you on the edge of your seat due to the excellent performer.
Theatre Scotland 
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