Red Diamond Theatre Company -#review- Jam Jar Cinema Edinburgh Fringe Preview

Red Diamond Theatre Company
Jam Jar Cinema
Edinburgh Fringe Preview
31st July 2015 

Quirky, eccentric and cool and that’s just the theatre, The Theatre I’m talking about is Jam Jar Cinema in Whitley Bay. Red Diamond Theatre Company are off to Edinburgh Fringe and great things are happening... but before they travel up the A1 they decided to do a preview show @ Jam Jar.
Disaster struck a few days beforehand when one of the smaller parts unfortunately had to pull out and they had to get a last minute replacement...but onto the show! 
The cinema is about the same size as the space in Edinburgh fitting roughly 45+ people. 'Bedsocks and secrets' was made up of 2 separate shows that have been mashed together amazingly by Alison Stanley, the first act being written by Alison herself. So!! The first is set in nursing home and having visited my grandfather who also had dementia (which is one of the main themes of the play) brought memories back for me. Ella is looking for “her Kenneth” who is now slightly older than she imagines he is, Ella is flanked by two members of staff one of who wants to be anywhere but there, Kenneth arrives to the home wrecked with guilt over his mother’s situation “If only I was stronger”. Then the best part of the show happened for me by the swapping of Ella’s via a mirror image and the song 'Sunshine my only sunshine' which they did fantastically well not once but twice. The end of the first half was great with Ella remembering what Kenneth looked like which nearly brought me to tears. 
The 2nd Half  focuses on Kenneth, now that Ella his mother has died. We meet Helen a young lass who he sits with in his car at night, they are at different sides of the age spectrum but both have one common bond - loneliness! 
We also meet O’Connor who is a wannabe model, she is a friend of Helen. Helen is a flirty tease and makes Kenneth very uncomfortable with the age gap. 
The show as a whole was fantastic but for me the first half just shaded it. Everyone involved should be pleased with themselves for a great preview show. 
Red Diamond are in Edinburgh for 9 days in August and if you are at the Fringe get yourself down to Spotlites Venue 278. 22 Hanover Street. EH2 2EP between Sun 23rd and Mon 31st Aug at 4.55pm, tickets start at £8 for concessions.

Reuben Hiles