Fix

Worklight Theatre return to Edinburgh with their brand new show Fix; a fusion of song, science and soliloquy investigating addiction in the UK today. After two years of research and interviews exploring the cause and effect of a range of addictions, writers Joe Sellman-Leava and Michael Woodman provide a mouthpiece for these people’s stories through their creation of three unique and engaging characters. Three actor-musicians sit upon cajóns with guitars weaving together tales about their character’s Maggie, Robyn and Zach, alongside absurd songs of statistics and the chemical process of dopamine.

A cleverly constructed piece of theatre with three relevant and relatable affairs for an audience to be affected by and sing along to.

Sam Hollis-Pack’s lighting design intensifies the atmosphere, effectively focussing certain moments in the characters’ exposition of their relationships with addiction and addicts. Fiona Whitelaw is heart-rending as Maggie confronting her husband’s sex addiction by video chatting to the woman he masturbates to. Rianna Dearden veraciously speaks out about the challenges of being a therapist as Robyn, never knowing whether one of her clients has relapsed by the time she gets home. Finlay Cormack delivers a genuinely moving performance throughout as Zach, a young father with a persistent gambling problem.

While the charming musical interludes composed by Lisandro Mendes & Gustave Robin were an amusing and interactive way of educating the audience on certain topics, the songs at times jarred within the rest of the show. At points, the actors seemed awkward and indifferent while singing, and I feel they could have chosen to embrace this element by using a more playful dynamic. Even so, this is a cleverly constructed piece of theatre with three relevant and relatable affairs for an audience to be affected by and sing along to.