Cumbernauld Theatre
2 October 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Bob is in a hospital bed. A long dark night of the soul, in an understaffed ward, a single room. Another stormy night. Rain and wind. He’s on the top floor of the hospital. The Death Star. He might be bed-bound, but in his thoughts, he can get up, move around, hear and speak to others… It’s the inside of his head we’re watching.
We don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he’s broken – as is the world around him… And what will the next morning bring? It sounds like a painful and risky procedure, but Bob is convinced he won’t survive it.
None of this stops Bob from talking twenty-to-the dozen, ranting about injustice and the state of the world…. No way Bob’s going gently into that good night, he’ll burn and rave at close of day, raging against the dying of the light. And despite it all, he laughs at everything, including himself.
All night long, as dawn approaches Bob reflects on his own life, and on the NHS, the politics of the pandemic, the rise of the right, Independence, climate change, the future. The human condition and the coming of the end."
Written by Chris Dolan, Directed by David Hayman Jr.
It really is an honour to witness David Hayman play the part of Bob Cunninghame. This is a one man show - and what a man.
As the play begins Bob is in his hospital bed. Straight away David breaks the fourth wall by saying hello to the audience and asking us if we've brought any grapes! This works well to both cut the tension in the room and lets us know there will be some humour in this play.
Over the next hour David Hayman delivers a masterclass in monologue acting. He is incredible.
The play itself is clever and touching. How sad it is to witness someone in a hospital bed not knowing what the future holds. I barely kept my tears at bay.
Through his memories, worries and rants about the current state of the world we get to know the person Bob Cunninghame was (is!). The prose is almost poetic - beautifully written and delivered.
Unexpectedly there was a really personal Q&A with David Hayman straight after the final bow. He pulled up a chair, someone brought him a beer and he settled down for a chat. No topic or question was off limits.
I loved this! Hayman is a wonderful actor but he's also intelligent, insightful and down to earth. He spoke with us as if we were all sitting around a fire down the pub. What a legend. David Hayman for First Minister immediately!
[First posted on Instagram 4 October 2022]
🌟 REVIEW: Time's Plague (Scottish Tour) [Theatre, Play, David Hayman, Cumbernauld] 🌟
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