Bad Boy Eddie @ C Aquilla

Review by Emma Ainley-Walker | 15 Aug 2013

Bad Boy Eddie invites its audience to look in on the after affects of what happens when personal demons become too much for a family to contain.

With a modest cast of four, the play introduces us to Eddie O'Birdie and his family, friends and other interested parties as he grows up by himself in a bleakly portrayed Glasgow. Eddie is an engaging character, but it's those around him that bring the play together. It's harrowing at times to watch what happens to a young boy sidelined by those who should be looking after him but the play never goes too far. It's sadly realistic in its portrayal and not melodramatic, which is achieved by the direct addressing of the audience as if telling a story, paired with the insights into Eddie's thought processes as shown by the other actors. Furthermore, the way the latter switch easily between character roles is impressive, crowned by the sinister looking human embodiment of drink who tempts and plagues interchangeably in the background of much of the story's key moments. 

That the play has been adapted from the original Finnish and relocated to Glasgow for its Scottish cast is another element of realism that shows the audience that this situation is both close to home and a worldwide problem. It's not all doom and gloom and hope certainly shines through, but Bad Boy Eddie makes us question why it's so easy for a child to become invisible and how easy it could have been to prevent.

Bad Boy Eddie, C Aquila, Until 26 Aug (not 13), £12.50 http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/theatre/bad-boy-eddie