13/08/24

Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre), Edinburgh

Harriet Madeley’s debut solo show is all about that most popular of subjects… death. I know. Hard sell, right? But when entertainment journalist Olive is searching for the right subject matter for her next big project – you know, the one that will lift her career out of the doldrums and win her the Pulitzer Prize – she keeps returning to that theme. 

But of course, she soon discovers that, although everyone dies, few people are ready to talk about it until the event is imminent. So Olive hits on the idea of booking herself in for a hospital health-check, solely so she can sneak into the palliative care ward and chat to some of the patients. For some inexplicable reason, this doesn’t go down well with the staff. 

Then the results of Olive’s tests come back and, for the first time in her life, she finds herself a lot closer to death than she could ever have anticipated. To say that it puts a different spin on things would be something of an understatement…

Outpatient is a clever, darkly humorous tale, which – it turns out – is based on Madeley’s real life. She relates much of the narrative while pounding along on a running machine or bouncing around on an exercise ball. She explains how the experience makes her reassess everything in her life, leads her (inadvertently) into breaking the law and prompts her to form a new friendship with Evelyn, a woman with a fatal illness. 

If on paper it all sounds a bit grim, don’t be misled. Olive’s narrative is wryly funny, peppered with astute observations about everyday existence and the irony of her unfortunate experience boosting her own chances of literary success. Rather than being a downer, it’s ultimately life-affirming. Madeley’s performance is a delight and the standing ovation she receives at the play’s conclusion is proof that I’m not the only person in the audience with that view.

So live dangerously and go see this play about death. You’ll love it!

4.4 stars

Philip Caveney