Colours Run

Aug 12 2025 | By Erin Frances Speirs More

★★★★☆ Devastating

Summerhall (Venue 26): Thur 31 Jul – Mon 25 Aug 2025
Review by Erin Frances Speirs

Colours Run, from 4Play at Summerhall for the full run of the Fringe is a devastating rollercoaster of revelations, exploring cycles of abuse and what it means to love.

Mikey Burnett’s script follows two working-class Edinburgh lad, brothers and Hibs casuals, then slowly tears at itself, as the men tear at each other, revealing secrets from both their past and their present.

Ruaraidh Murray and Sean Langtree in Colours Run. Pic: Grace Ava Baker.

Pongo (Ruaraidh Murray) is the eldest with a tendency for violence who the pair refer to as a “top shagger, 24/7”. Younger brother Pete (Sean Langtree) is isolated inside their Leith flat, barely interacting with anyone besides Pongo.

Audiences are greeted with a messy yet realistic depiction of the brothers’ flat, fit with a Hibs cushion on the sofa, whisky, a football, rubbish strewn around, and books piled on the coffee table. Pongo comes back from a Hibs game, clearly distraught but trying to hold it in, his bruised knuckles proving he got caught up in some kind of confrontation.

Pete appears from the other room, wearing full Hibs merch, slippers and a dressing gown, excited to see his brother. After berating Pete about not doing more with his day, the boys play ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ together.

The comedic moment moves away from the initial gritty realism, as Sean Langtree breaks the fourth wall, speaking to the theatre audience as if they are a studio audience. Langtree’s impressive range is shown here—jumping from the stuttering Pete to a confident Chris Tarrant type.

ominous

Just as this section is in danger dragging, the production is thrown into crisp tension, crafted by director Grace Ava Baker – sharp and timely. The truth of these brothers’ lives truly begins to unravel, and we set off on an ominous and heartbreaking exploration of cycles of abuse.

Colours Run depicts abuse and coercive control with patience and care, with Baker’s directional choices cementing Pongo’s idea that ‘care is control’—as it is all he’s ever known. Baker’s direction shines throughout the production, using the space to its full potential in a very realistic manner, grounding the brothers in their flat.

Sean Langtree and Ruaraidh Murray in Colours Run. Pic: Grace Ava Baker.

Murray and Langtree’s connection is strong, with both actors excelling in their roles. Murray brings intensity to the menacing, yet frustratingly likeable character, with mountain loads of emotions ready to spill out of him at any moment, but only ever allowing that of anger to come to the forefront. Langtree’s portrayal of naive Pete is endearing, with his love for his older brother carrying the heart of the play.

However, Pete’s nescient state is undefined at times. It is unclear if writer Mikey Burnett intended for him to be neurodivergent, most likely autistic (seen in his obsession with counting every cornflake in the Kellog’s box) or emotionally stunted, based on the years of abuse he has faced. Where Pongo feels fully formed, Pete’s emotional life could be better developed.

challenges

Burnett’s script perfectly balances high energy comedy with hauntingly tragic moments. Colours Run is not an easy watch. It is uncomfortable, and challenges audiences to sympathise and understand a character we usually paint as simply evil. You want to hate Pongo, but underneath his laddie exterior there’s a little boy who was never taught how to love.

Colours Run is a vital production exploring abusive cycles, and how society’s expectations of men–and their emotions–continue to push these patterns. Until the cycle is broken, trauma will always cause people to fall into the set roles they grew up with.

A devastating breakdown of two brothers’ relationship, which never stood a chance to be healthy in the first place.

Running time: 55 minutes (no interval).
Summerhall (Red Lecture Theatre), 1 Summerhall Place, EH9 1PL (Venue 26).
Thursday 31 July – Monday August 2025.
Daily (Not Mons 11 & 18): 6.10pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Book here on EdFest.com.*