Written and performed by Jack Hesketh and directed by Coral Tarran, Is Trying Enough? starts with a young man bouncing out of bed to the upbeat sounds of Mr Blue Sky by ELO. Familiar morning routines ease you in gently to what is about to unfold.
An exceptional performance throughout
Glaswegian born-and-bred and now living in London he is trying to find his way in the vast metropolis. Drawn from Hesketh's own personal experiences, this production is a complex and brutally honest one-man play.
The young twenty-something battles with acceptance about his status as a grown man when he still feels he's only a boy. Battling the demons of depression and anxiety he tries to discover who he is in the daunting world of adults, wondering if somewhere he missed the door he obviously entered into adulthood.
During scenes when the characters depression was at its peak you could feel just how desperate he felt. The sound effects of a train storming through his mind particularly hit home.
Both Hesketh's writing and performance are exceptional. This moving and powerful production leads me to believe he is definitely one to watch out for in the future.