The Pure, the Dead and the Brilliant

Alan Bissett
Kyle/Bisset Productions
The Assembly Rooms

The Pure, the Dead and the Brilliant

To alien ears, The Pure, the Dead and the Brilliant is a rather confusing satire with a one-sided agenda.

The show, which has been produced from the proceeds of a popular crowd-funding exercise, gives off the feel of a pantomime but the subject matter, Scotland's future, could hardly be more serious.

For an hour, four representative fairies (yes really) put in their pitches to help viewers who eventually use their programmes to deliver a landslide vote in favour of Independence.

While cheery Bogle, dour Banshee and flirty Selkie are only concerned that a Yes vote might lead Scotland to reality and their own extinction, that classic baddie, Martin McCormick as Black Donald expertly delivers the kind of performance usually associated with ugly sisters.

None of this is good for balance and the messages get muddied. There are however some excellent one-liners, mostly delivered by the inimitable Elaine C Smith's Banshee.

Depending on your political views, this play's heart is in the right place. Where its head has got to is anyone's guess.

Reviewer: Philip Fisher

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