Whilst everyone in the city is still enjoying the finale of summer, Steak Out has painted a picture of the bitterly cold winter. This piece, written by Ruaraidh Murray and directed by Micheal Nardone, aims to reveal the difficult decisions people choose to make when they, alongside with their loved ones, are pushed to the edge and hanging by a thread.
Steak Out is a story of an Edinburgh granny, her husband, her son, and her one-year-old grandson robbing a butcher shop in Stockbridge — a wealthy neighbourhood in Edinburgh. The piece surely captures the essence of dark comedy, as it starts off with innocent humour — coded within the actors’ excellent physicality —while revealing the painful truths towards the end.
Ruaraidh Murray, being both the writer and the cast for Archie, has captured the spirit of their character with precision. Murray’s portrayal of Archie is lively — a burly, strapping Scottish man who might be intimidating at first, but would attempt anything for his family. Reanne Farley, cast as Karen, gives a convincing performance. Farley’s Karen was bright and hearty at the first glance, but you can capture a discreet sorrow in her eyes — this sorrow carries on until the very end of the play, when the reason for it unravels as she softly speaks her final lines. Sam Langtree convincingly portrays Thomas as doubtful, hesitant and timid.
The only drawback goes to the play’s physical staging which is mainly made up of a number of plastic, stackable storage boxes. Understanding that this set might be beneficial for the presentation of one individual scene, it inevitably comes out less immersive in other scenes, when they are being handled around, sat on, and used as props.
Overall, it is great to see Steak Out at this year’s Fringe, and its appearance should leave a mark in the new era of Scottish theatre.
Steak Out is running until 31 August (excluding 17 and 25) at Gilded Balloon Teviot. Buy tickets here.
Image provided to The Student as press material.
