CHEMO SAVVY | GILDED BALLOON, EDINBURGH
★★★★
From the opening of the house, as the audience are still finding their seats and the old box telly on stage plays out the theme and opening titles of The Lone Ranger, the spirit of the late Andy Gray lives on and is ever-present in Chemo Savvy, a production dedicated to the memory of the Edinburgh King’s panto legend who died in 2022 of Covid, after a long and successful battle with cancer.
Inspired by Gray’s battle with leukaemia, on stage, it is his panto co-stars Grant Stott, Jordan Young and Gail Watson who bring to life the story of Rab, a man newly diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a type of rare blood cancer. Estranged from his family and friends, Rab must build bridges with his nearest and dearest, brother Will and ex-girlfriend Angela, if he is to get through the gruelling journey that lies ahead.
As Rab opts for chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, treatment the doctor warns has only a 50/50 survival rate, it’s a pivotal moment. In the role of Rab, Stott switches from aimless galoot to a man broken by grief and fear, evoking laughter and tears as he does so. In multiple roles, Gail Watson (mum, ex-girlfriend and nurse amongst others) and Jordan Young (brother Will and cancer specialist and others) rally around him, deftly swapping between characters and barely off stage throughout the 50 minute piece.
As a team, they are a delight as they deliver Alan McHugh’s rambunctious script that captures the essence of Gray’s on stage persona, as does Sally Reid’s light direction. It’s emotional at times with so many familiar lines, visual and musical references. Gray’s signature motifs laced throughout the story – Batman, Elvis, ‘Ah’m no very well’ are all present and correct – make it even more so, but it’s never a maudlin experience.
Other highlights include an Alexa with attitude and Watson’s wonderfully surreal musical theatre turns as Rab’s cocktail of drugs kick sparking the hallucinations he was warned his life-saving drugs might cause… there’s also a short stream of toilet humour, which has the sold-out venue in hysterics. It’s all a bit bonkers, but in a good way.
Laughter is the best medicine they say, and that is certainly the case here, the gags come thick and fast and so do the laughs. If laughter is the top tonic, nostalgia comes a close second. Packed with social references for the many children of the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s in the audience, it proves a warmly comforting piece. Chemo Savvy may have a dark vein of gallows humour, but it remains a profoundly thought-provoking comment of the power of love, family and friendship.
As Andy Gray’s face pops up on the telly at the end, there’s little doubt he would have approved. In fact, it’s hard to believe he’s not watching from the wings, chortling away to himself, proud of his panto pals. A fitting tribute then, to a much-missed master of comedy.
Runs until 24 August. Tickets here.
The
