Waiting For Lefty, Kings Players – Pleasance Courtyard

*** (3 stars)

Loud and intimidating are the first words that come to mind to describe the King’s Players’ adaptation of Waiting For Lefty. Before they let the queue into the venue (or rather the trailer parked in the Pleasance Courtyard) the cast stood amongst us and shouted at each other about who was wrong and why they needed a strike. This continued as we found a seat, the rest of the cast sat amongst the audience shouting even louder. I had one male performer sitting behind me yelling various profanities into the back of my head, I’m pretty sure I left the performance with tinnitus.

Aside from the yelling, the interactivity of the show was quite effective; an attempt to get the audience on side of the workers within the 1930s depression era. They tell both economic tales and personal tales and we see into the relationships that are affected by the current climate: a husband and wife who have too little money to support themselves and their children; a boss and an employee who argue over money and morals; a love struck couple who cannot afford to marry and live together. And finally, at another rally, the workers demand to strike after life changing news about the mysteriously absent idol Lefty.

The personal tales are quite touching and are presented well with a common theme interweaving amongst them, when one person brings up the lack of money the other exclaims ‘don’t try to change the subject!’, the other replies ‘this IS the subject!’. Clearly this is an attempt to emphasise the importance of financial stability for these taxi drivers and their families, it affects each and every person even remotely involved.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a lack of connection with the cause presented. I understand and admire the anger and passion the cast puts into promoting the cause for workers strikes but the incessant shouting merely irritated me more than inspired me. I felt that I would have chanted ‘Strike! Strike! Strike!’ with them simply because they appeared unnecessarily threatening rather than encouraging. This is a fine attempt at addressing the universal issue that is finance during the depression, but it does not quite hit the mark economically or emotionally.

Pleasance Courtyard, running until the 30th August, 1.30pm. £8/£7

Laura Jones