4Play 2024: Two
Butterflies & Benefits: ★★★★☆ Gritty
Cheapo: ★★★☆☆ Brave
Traverse: Fri 6 / Sat 7 Dec 2024
Review by Allan Wilson
The second of two new writing double-headers presented by Edinburgh-based 4Play at the Traverse this week featured Butterflies & Benefits by Andrea McKenzie and Cheapo by Katy Nixon.
Both had been presented at an earlier stage of development as 20-minute scratch pieces, but were here seen as full-length performances. This was 4Play’s second double bill, with Fuckers by Ruaraidh Murray and Colours Run by Mikey Burnett reviewed here.
The cast of Butterflies & Benefits. Isla Campbell and Amy Glass (seated) with Michael Francis, Laverne Edmonds and Lex Joyce. Pic: Andrea McKenzie
Butterflies & Benefits, which McKenzie also directs, is a gritty portrayal of the lives of four working class Edinburgh teenagers over the last two years of the 20th Centur:, Maz, Abs, Dee and Mik, who are first seen energetically flinging themselves around the dance floor to the heavy beat of a typical 90s club.
The main focus of the play is on the relationship between Maz and Mik, who share a night of passion, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy, destroying Maz’s optimistic plans. Abs and Dee making regular contributions.
Mik is initially supportive, but turns out to be controlling and an unsuccessful drug dealer. Maz throws Mik out when she realises that he has sold a gold crucifix that was particularly important to her in order to buy drugs. Her life spirals into despair as she struggles to access the support she needs.
tragic consequences
Amy Glass gives an amazing performance as Maz, the self-confident, fun-loving leader of the group, who loses control of her life, with almost tragic consequences. She gives a memorable physical portrayal of the results of an overdose of prescription drugs as the play approaches its climax.
Michael Francis’ Mik is a feckless youth with few redeeming features. He is an early adopter of a mobile phone, proudly showing it off to his friends, while we wonder how he managed to afford it, and who he is using it to contact. We soon see him trying to sell stolen goods, and in a particularly disturbing scene stealing baby food and other groceries that Abs and Dee have given to Maz when he finds her asleep in her home.
Laverne Edmonds and Amy Glass in Butterflies & Benefits. Pic Andrea McKenzie
Abs and Dee, skilfully portrayed by Lex Joyce and Isla Campbell, have both managed to make something of themselves, with Abs finding work as a chef and getting engaged, and lesbian Dee making good progress at university, despite experiencing class bias. They both try to support Maz, warning her about Mik, giving her food, and bringing a hint of an optimistic future for Maz in the final scene.
Laverne Edmonds has a small part as the doctor who provides little support for Maz, other than prescribing anti-depressants, while complaining about lack of time and lengthy waiting lists for more meaningful support.
Butterflies & Benefits is a powerful, emotional illustration of many of the issues facing young people at the end of the 1990s – some might argue that these issues became even worse over subsequent years. It is well written, providing nuance to the lives of the characters and the direction makes skilful use of a basic set consisting of a settee and a small table.
Cheapo
Cheapo’s advanced publicity suggests that “Two teenagers battle out their differences over a game of chess.” Given that chess can be seen as an intense conflict between two adversaries it has featured in surprisingly few dramas – only Chess, the musical by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and Ingmar Bergman’s fantasy / horror film, The Seventh Seal, immediately come to mind.
In reality, the chess board plays only a minor part in the play, written by Katy Nixon, recent winner of Play, Pie and Pint’s David McLennan Award for her play, Jellyfish.
The play opens with Jamie sitting at a school desk, nervously picking up pieces from a chess board. His slightly dishevelled appearance and blood-stained shirt suggest that he has just been involved in a fight. He is soon joined by Kyla, who challenges him to a game, which he accepts, though it soon becomes clear that she has little idea how to play chess.
Dayton Mungai in Cheapo. Pic Gwen M. Dolan
Kyla frequently calls Jamie, ‘Sheldon’, in apparent recognition of his intelligence and they begin to talk. Sometimes Jamie is explaining the different moves the individual chess pieces can make, but the conversation increasingly turns to an incident at a party the night before, with Kyla trying to find out what Jamie knows and encouraging him not to be ‘a grass’, but he has been taught by his parents to always tell the truth and refuses to lie.
Jamie reported the incident to the police who are now investigating and have interviewed Jamie as a potential witness. He has already been attacked by the perpetrators, who fear that he will reveal what happened, and is expecting a more severe beating when he leaves the sanctuary of the classroom.
We gradually learn that Kyla was the victim of a serious assault by a group of boys at the party, with photographs circulating via social media. She admits that things are not going well for her and that many of her friends are starting to slag her off.
flashback
In an apparent flashback, we see Kyla and Jamie sharing their excitement in a car on the way to the party. There is no suggestion that Jamie was directly involved in the attack, though he says that everybody at the party shares some responsibility for what happened. Kyla admits that she was drunk and that something bad happened, but she wonders if it was just a case of ‘bad sex’.
Katy Nixon’s writing is excellent, though some key questions, particularly regarding levels of responsibility and consequences, are left unanswered at the end. Similarly, Gwen M. Dolan has done a good job as director, especially with the imaginative car scene. However, they have packed a lot of material into less than 30 minutes, leaving very little breathing space for the audience to process the details of the play.
Heidi Steel as Kyla and Dayton Mungai as Jamie both give excellent performances, with Steel showing an impressive range of emotions from almost bullying Jamie not to tell anything about what he knows – to showing Kyla’s increasing vulnerability as she gradually comes to terms with what has happened to her. Mungai’s Jamie manages to show a calmness and acceptance of what he has experienced.
Cheapo makes a brave attempt at tackling the difficult subject of violence against women, but it often seems rushed and needs a little more time to give the material the space it deserves.
Running time: Two hours (including one interval)
Friday 6/Saturday 7 December 2024
Daily at 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here
4Play website: https://4playtheatre.com
ENDS
