The Book of Mountains and Seas at Pleasance Courtyard – Edinburgh Fringe review

Archie has died, leaving a loving set of parents and a boyfriend behind. All that remains of him are his Yelp reviews – lyrical, savage and pieces of a man that has now departed. In a bid to honour his son, Raymond has jetted over to retrace his son’s steps, visiting reviewed restaurants with Archie’s former partner Andrew in tow.

There’s a seed of a fantastic idea here –  inter-generational disharmony, particularly between immigrant parents and second-generation children. Some moments of genuine emotional pertinence shimmer with poignancy, particularly as Raymond deals with his own response to loss and the impact it has on the future of his own life.

But Yilong Liu’s play is far too keen to tell rather than show – exposition cannot be a substitution for characterisation. Why more isn’t made of Charles Hsu’s Archie, occasionally appearing during flashback to deliver wry lines and pithy Yelp extracts, is hard to tell.

Bringing out more of his relationships with his loved ones may lend more emotional depth. The absence of sound design across restaurant scenes renders them relatively inert, while it feels surprising that, even though Andrew captures stills for a living, there’s no sense of technicolour excitement on a sterile set, dressed to look like a photography studio.

The cast of Hsu, Eric Elizaga and Ephraim Birney put in committed performances, hampered by the relatively unexciting creative decisions that surround them.

The irony of publish an online review for a play about online reviews is not lost on me. There is a fantastic premise here though – with perseverance – it could well pick up a stronger verdict.