Goodbye Postie
★★★☆☆ Heartfelt
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39): Fri 1 – Sat 9 Aug 2025
Review by Flora Henderson
Returning after a run in the PBH Free Fringe in 2023, Deliverance Theatre’s Goodbye Postie drops into theSpace on the Mile for Week One of the Fringe.
Whilst playwright Alexander Artis’s script is comedic in nature, the piece involves a deeper investigation into small-town life, competently exploring themes of grief, love, family, and friendship.
Alexander Artis (Postie) and Greg Cross (Sparkie). Pic Deliverance Theatre
Set in Dumfries in 2005, the story follows the lives of best friends Postie (Alexander Artis) and Sparkie (Greg Cross). Sparkie seems to be content with his lot, working as an electrician, playing video games on a slightly past-it sofa, and spending his Saturday nights in the local pub.
Postie, however, is sure that there must be more to life than driving his van, delivering the post, and being “bit by dugs”.
The piece is directed well by Lucy Pedersen, who ensures that the available space is used effectively. Avoiding clunky scene changes, all the action takes place in the living room of Postie and Sparkie’s flat. The passage of time between scenes is marked by quick costume changes, covered by appropriate 2000s hits.
genuine
Both actors display a complex range of emotions, but at times it feels as though they are focusing more on the words they have to say than being in the moment with their scene partner. Several line fumbles, and a concentration on the heavy dialect written into the script, means that sometimes the dialogue feels stilted.
However, the relationship between Postie and Sparkie feels genuine: the laddish banter flows naturally, but the two also show an ability to have some more emotionally intelligent conversations.
Greg Cross (Sparkie) and Alexander Artis (Postie). Pic Deliverance Theatre.1
Amongst scenes describing Sparkie’s plans to take his new girlfriend on a romantic trip to McDonald’s, Postie is shown struggling with a difficult choice. Are the relationships he has built in Dumfries more important than satisfying his desire to discover the “whole world out there”?
Towards the end of the show, it starts to feel as though there is a dearth of new material to explore, and the scenes become slightly repetitive. There is a lack of nuance, with each character firmly representing one side of the argument, resulting in a feeling that not much has changed since the beginning of the play.
That being said, overall, Artis and Cross work well together, finding the right balance between comedy and gravity to consider one of life’s most important questions – should I stay or should I go?
Running time: 55 minutes (no interval).
theSpace on the Mile (Space 1), 80 High St, EH1 1TH. (Venue 39).
Friday 1 – Saturday 9 August 2025.
Daily: 6.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Instagram: @deliverance_theatre
ENDS
