Funny, poignant and highly relatable
Mirren Wilson’s PALS (or Perfectly Average Lassies) is a play about 4 friends, embarking on an adventure to climb Ben Lomand as a way to feel better about themselves as their friends are seemingly conquering the world. Sadie (Millie Rodger) is our narrator and guide for the weekend – a keen hillwalker who’s ailing mum is having more of a toll on her than her friends know. Her childhood friends, the overly prepared Claire (a fantastically slapstick physical comedy performance from Briony Martha), the chatty Flo (Shelley Middler) and the Insta-obsessed Taylor (Amy Glass).
The Fringe can feel bereft of Scottish voices at the best of times, far less Scottish women, without succumbing to ‘wee wifey’ tropes. Here, we have some wonderfully written and authentic voices leading to hugely relatable characters and performances. I could absolutely see myself in these characters as well as my sister (we’re probably closest to Claire and Taylor – she too dresses ‘like a tornado ripped through Zara’ and I messaged the family chat to tell her that), but I felt I ‘know’ Flo and Sadie too. From existential crises over the achievements of a military penguin, to relationships crumbling over ‘The Slosh’ (if you know, you know – and the expert demonstration whilst in dialogue is endlessly impressive!)
We have some lovely insightful touches too – Sadie refers to Nan Shephard’s declaration that water can only be itself, much like her friends, and the emphasis on taking different perspectives, whether that be through a camera lens, or staring up at a starry sky by a campfire.
On stage, there has to be a prize for the fastest tent erection on stage, with the help of Claire the spirit level, and great use of the small space and aisle to differentiate space and location, really making the audience feel like they’re on the trip too, not just observers.
Given the constraints of the hour timeslot, and without spoiling the ending, I personally felt the wildlife section whilst deeply affecting, was a little rushed, and would have benefited from more time being dedicated to it. I would absolutely love to see a 90 min version where this could have been fleshed out a little more or allowed a bit more time to sit with the audience. The show deserves to be made available to a wider audience – I’d love to see a longer version, and to spend more time with these characters.