Chrysalis @ Paradise in the Vault

Edinburgh Fringe Festival presents Chrysalis by Big Squirrel Productions, a sweet play that explores the lives of three people who have endured tough times but have ended up inexplicably thrown together to become 'a really weird family unit' as Mickey (Stephen Scheurer-Smith) has labelled them.

Mickey is played well by the author and director of the piece as the father figure of the trio who lives with Peter and has cared for him after the death of Peter’s mother. Michael Husband is brilliant as Peter, a lovely soul with learning difficulties who is obsessed with butterflies while his friend from next door Eva, played by Kattreya Scheurer-Smith, plays the tough, mouthy young girl with anger issues. Over the course of the performance these three reveal the harsh realities of their pasts and confront a new future, with the help of their social worker Jennifer, who intervenes briefly, and the ghost of Eva’s brother, who provides music throughout.

At times this piece seems quite amateurish and spends more time on the trivialities of Mickey’s stories than on going deeper into the characters of the trio – this would help in tightening up the story, which at times feels messy. There are parts which seem unnecessary and the trick of having characters speak directly to the audience is used to save time by explaining their situations as opposed to strengthening the script and the direction to be able to do this from inside the performance. The butterfly theme could be used to greater effect within the story as it is a beautiful idea, the execution of it just isn't quite there.

It is clear what Scheurer-Smith is striving for and it is an engaging play that is genuinely moving; however it will require work from this company to create stronger pieces in the future.