Horse McDonald in Careful

Careful is a cathartic confessional for Scottish musician Horse McDonald, turned into a stage presentation by Lynn Ferguson.

In an hour, the singer turned actor covers a vast amount of ground, starting in early childhood when she preferred boys’ clothes to girls.

This did not fit in with her parents’ ambitions, neither were her radical attitudes blessed by the conservative residents of Lanark (Alasdair Gray country) in the 1970s.

The persona of Horse (née Sheena) took hold early but faced opposition that was dispelled forever when she beat up and chased away the local homophobes.

Visits to doctors and psychiatrists were unhelpful with ECT threatened but music soothed the soul so that the person appearing on stage today is clearly happy, successful and in a loving partnership.

A moving story is accompanied by a carefully chosen soundtrack building to a moving denouement with Horse singing her heart out.

Few people would bare their souls publicly in this way, which makes Careful a novel but worthwhile and ultimately uplifting experience.