Wilford Wellman’s Wellbeing is a delightful, absurdist play brought to life by brand-new theatre company Hallirackit Theatre. We follow Wilford, a young man in hospital struggling to get better as he is ‘tormented’ by hammed up, caricatures of his family members and doctor. We enjoy the silly antics of the players and sympathise with Wilford’s frustration as he tries to make sense of it all whilst being doped up on medication and dealing with the insisent ticking clock.
The concept for this show is both interesting and fun. The idea of Wilford’s family getting progressively more ridiculous as time goes on is fantastic. Writer Michael McLean has a fantastic imagination and the characters he creates are so fun! To know that this piece is inspired by his real life is a real testament to Michael on how he can turn such a traumatic time in to a silly, creative performance. The script is full of wit and charm!
The performers are undeniably talented. Hallirackit pride themselves on supporting their young creatives and they’ve given these great actors a chance to shine at the Fringe. As this is their first performance, I could definitely feel some nerves in the air and a few moments that need some tweaking. Two standouts for me were Rachel Watt and Hannah Davidson. Rachel plays Wilford’s mother who strangely speaks only in RP, Shakespearean prose despite the rest of her family being Scottish. She is over the top dramatic and keeps the energy flowing in every scene she’s in. Hannah who plays Winnie Wellman is a fantastic comedy actor. Between the costume changes and variety of accents, Hannah is a delight to watch. The actors have already shown great promise, and with continued practice and refinement, they will undoubtedly hone their craft further. The potential here is immense, and it’s clear that this theatre company has the talent and creativity to become a standout in the Scottish theatre scene.
As Hallirackit are a new theatre group, I believe they have a lot of room to grow. While the play was definitley fun and silly, there were moments where the energy dipped. Being an absurdist play, consistent energy is crucial to maintaining audience engagement and I wanted the cast to turn the madness up a few dials more. Of course, the slowing down was to show the juxtaposition between poor, confused Wilford and the chaos around him, but often when the chaos slowed down, the momentum of the performance got a bit lost. With a bit more experience and experimental rehearsals, I’m confident the company will be able to keep the momentum high and make this piece even crazier!
Wilford Wellman’s Wellbeing is a commendable first effort from brand-new theatre company Hallirackit Theatre. The interesting concept, talented cast, and strong script are all indicators of the great things to come. With a bit more time and polish, Hallirackit is sure to deliver consistently captivating performances. I look forward to seeing their growth and future productions. Keep an eye on this company—they are on the path to something truly special.
Wilford Wellman’s Wellbeing is playing Aug 6-10 at 10:45am @ Paradise in The Vault.
Theatre Scotland 
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