Edinburgh review: Bricking It (Underbelly)
© Elly Hopkins
I have now seen three shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe that are full of love for a parent. Daffodils at the Traverse is an examination of Rochelle Bright parents' marriage; The Castle Builder at Summerhall includes in its exploration of outsider creativity a tribute to family relations; and now comedian Joanna Griffin puts her 73 year old builder dad Pat on stage beside her in a therapeutic act of father daughter relationship cementing.
The problem, as all three ventures reveal, is that in theatrical terms at least, love is not enough. Joanna and Pat are clearly very nice people, but this uneasy hour spent in their company is like watching paint dry – only slightly more embarrassing.
The idea for the show arose when Joanna's mother died and her absence is symbolically remembered by a dress and cardigan hanging forlornly at the back of the set. She would apparently have been against the idea of the father and daughter swapping roles in public, so that Joanna builds a bad wall while Pat tells a string of feeble jokes. And, though I hate to say it, she would have been right.
I am very glad that the couple have rebuilt their relationship in the course of a holiday together where they sat and looked at the stars. I was very grateful to them for sharing a cup of tea (much needed) and a ham sandwich. But I don't feel the need to be present at this awkward therapy session. The funniest moment was when Joanna failed to drill a screw into a post which tells you everything you need to know about a show that incidentally, and unfortunately, by putting a normal man up on stage shows just how abnormal and difficult stage performance is.
Bricking It runs at the Underbelly until 28 August (except 16 August).
