19/03/24

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

It’s 2011 and Eilidh (Taylor Dyson) and Scott (Sam James Smith) have just won their school talent show with a brand new song. Like plenty of other teens, they dream of pop stardom, but they live in Dundee, not a place renowned for its entertainment opportunities. Scott impulsively announces they should pack their bags and head for London, where fame surely awaits them – but Eilidh is reluctant to leave while her mum is ill, so Scott grabs his guitar and jumps aboard the Megabus without her.

Now it’s 2023 and they’re both fast approaching the dreaded three-o. Eilidh is living with her widowed dad and working at a local bakery. The two former friends haven’t exchanged so much as a word over the passing years, not even a Facebook post. When Scott returns out of the blue, his dreams of stardom in tatters, Eilidh is somewhat nonplussed to learn that he wants to pick up where they left off…

The latest addition to the A Play, A Pie and A Pint season, Pushin’ Thirty by Taylor Dyson and Calum Kelly is a gentle, whimsical tale about missed opportunities and the enduring importance of friendship. It’s a deceptively simple piece, laying bare the types of hurts and insecurities we so often bury. Anchored around two vivacious performances from Dyson and James Smith, this is compellingly told, the actors inhabiting their roles with ease so that we totally believe they really are old pals. There’s a steady stream of witty banter (never ask Scott why he doesn’t sing!) interspersed with some memorable songs from Dundee-based company, Elfie Picket. Beth Morton’s direction is sprightly: the pace never flags and the music is seamlessly incorporated.

Anyone who has ever picked up a guitar and dreamed of making it big will identify with this story. By my reckoning, that covers most of the people I know – and I’m sure they’d all enjoy this funny, heartwarming production.

4 stars

Philip Caveney