Hope This Helps!, TheSpace @ Venue 45.

Imagine a retreat in the wilds of Scotland where you could go to detox from Internet addiction – no phones, no social media, no emails… wouldn’t it be awful – sorry – restorative? Caitlin has dragged her unwilling brother Declan along, where they meet Liv and Willow, an on-off couple who are more off than on, American Mabel who just wants to be loved, and David, the coach, guru, mastermind, and upseller behind it all. Will they all attain offline Nirvana, or will the rifts and differences between them all shatter the peace – what’s left of it, after the Scottish weather has had its say? Sharkbait Theatre’s Hope This Helps? brings together these six ordinary, believable people and dumps them in an extraordinary environment where they must bond, heal, or struggle to get out, in order to survive. Incredible acting throughout by the whole ensemble – Rory Drinnan-Murray, Elizabeth Robbins, Robyn Reilly, Minnie Cross, together with co-writers Jess Ferrier and Lex Joyce – each individual has their own strong characteristics whilst never straying into the world of caricature. The writing, together with the quality of acting, bring out all the comedy of the situation, resulting in a truly hilarious play that also subtly touches on the emotions so you can feel the genuine issues of each character. Totally brilliant! 5 stars.

Behind Closed Doors, Braw Venues @ Hill Street.

For Charlie, sex is just a shag in the back of a car and move on. For Jude, it’s something different – a question of needing, of dependence, and, yes, of love. The two people must be incompatible, obviously; but nevertheless Charlie stays, to create an unlikely partnership. But the true struggle for both is Jude’s serious addiction to cocaine; and there’s only so much love and kindness that can be extended before something has to snap. Corey Muizelaar’s Behind Closed Doors is based on his own personal story and is tender, shocking, revealing, and extraordinarily moving. With two genuinely astounding performances from Corey himself as Jude, and Ben Robert Cunningham as Charlie, this is one of those productions that stays with you long after curtain down. Their use of silence, their portrayal of intimacy (amazing work by intimacy co-ordinator Lucy Curry) and their ability to make you empathise with behaviour that can never be condoned, demand your attention and admiration. This is one of those rare plays where you may well come out of the theatre a different person from the one who went in. A must-see. 5 stars.

Fab Goualin: Mixed Messages, Gilded Balloon Teviot.

A gentle comedy performance from Fab Goualin, a mixed race (French/Nigerian) gay guy who straddles a variety of identities. Clearly a season ticket holder with ancestry.com, Fab loves his Jollof but specifically shops in Waitrose; he enjoys his rugby although his posh white ex-colleague thought that was way beyond his social standing. Mixed Messages is his appropriately named show considering all his intersectionality (Google it) reference points. He draws on his relationship with his mother and colleagues; why he loves the lesbians but is not too hot on the gays and explores all those areas where he can confound others’ preconceptions. He has a fluid, confident delivery and sets up a very warm rapport with the audience. For me, his material is a little on the slight side; a bit safe and comfortable rather than challenging us into the big belly laughs. Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining show full of recognisable class observations that will always go down well with a comedy audience! 3 stars.

Pierrepoint: The People’s Hangman, TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall.

Albert Pierrepoint was born in 1905 in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and was an executioner, working for HM Prison Service, like his father and his uncle before him. Andrew Hogarth plays the very polite, civilised Mr Pierrepoint, as he explains how he decided to follow in the family business, discusses his professional standards of conduct, and then, in unexpected detail, goes into the nitty-gritty of the cases of John Reginald Christie and Timothy Evans, Ruth Ellis, and more. This production falls between two stools; it’s not a theatrical performance in the traditional sense, rather a recited account (from a book) on the Christie and Ellis cases. Nor is it a traditional lecture, in that the performer purports to be acting in the role of Pierrepoint and relies on some rather scruffy handouts, clearly lifted from Wikipedia, that we have to share, whereas it would be much more professional to use projected images on a screen. Alternatively, ignore the images altogether, because they only serve to distract us from hearing what Pierrepoint is saying. Despite having some fascinating material to narrate, Pierrepoint: The People’s Hangman is a sadly underwhelming experience, as we don’t really get to know Pierrepoint the man at all, and the accounts of the murderers he hanged are delivered in a pedestrian, unexciting manner. 2 stars.

I Think I’m Turning Japanese (I Really Think So, Not!), Just the Tonic at the Caves.

In 1998 Sam Joseph moved to Japan; a bold and brave step if ever there was. There he became entranced with the country – its people, its food and its language. Even more entrancing was the Japanese lady who would eventually become his wife. Through anecdotes of language mix-ups, poor hotel choices, getting in the wrong taxis, and so on, Sam illustrates what it’s like to be a Brit living in Japan. They also lived in Hawaii, but that’s another story (allegedly to be told at the Fringe next year). Sam is a high-energy, quirky performer; the kind of guy who peppers his speech with random noises and sudden movements. A self-confessed teller of dad jokes, he gives off a children’s entertainer vibe – which I don’t mean unkindly, but you could expect him to make you a balloon animal to take home. If I’m honest, I found his material more informative and curious than funny, but humour is nothing if not subjective, and he’s clearly, as Steve Martin once said, a wild and crazy guy. 2 stars.