‘Hex’ is fast becoming one of the hottest word-of-mouth shows around. The production team have done a fantastic job of keeping under wraps just what is about to transpire, keeping the ace up their sleeve with a deliberately vague plot synopsis in the Edinburgh Fringe Program and some vaguely related artwork on the flyer. If like many of tonight’s crowd you have managed to avoid the spoiler and are only aware of the stellar reviews it has been getting, then you are in for a treat.
The play, at its heart, is a humorous and fun comedy which centres around Toby (Ben Clifford) a cynic to all forms of alternative therapy and his new-age hippy partner Gwen (Sarah MacGillivray) who believes in everything and anything that is slightly out of the norm. She has invited two healers to come to their home to fix a little problem with the sofa, much to the irritation of Toby.
The first half is a thoroughly enjoyable and smartly written play, it is light, fun and very funny as the two argue as only couples can, but hidden in between the laughs, they are dropping tiny clues to the narrative U-turn ahead. For Hex goes in a wonderfully insane, crazy direction that manages to be gloriously bonkers yet so, so right. Once it heads in that direction it keeps pushing the absurdity in a number of inventive and imaginative ways that has the audience both shocked and roaring in laughter.
The writer, Sam Siggs, has created something very interesting indeed, with some great jokes and ideas. It is just a shame that at fifty minutes run time it does feel like an extra ten minutes could have been used to give the play a more clear cut ending, instead of its slight finale which deliberately leaves the problem unresolved.
Nevertheless this is a wonderfully funny production, and you’ll be cursing yourself if you miss it.
Hex
Martin Miller
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