Thin Walls: (Men)tal Health, Greenside @ George Street.Three brothers react to the death of their father in their own different ways. The oldest, Rick, retreats into his bullying shell and doesn’t allow the others to grieve. Ben, in the middle, needs therapy but refuses it, causing his own relationship to break up. The youngest, Danny, always the most emotional, comforts himself with heavy drinking and outbursts of anger, endangering his college degree. Friends try their best to support them – but there has to come a point when you must take charge of your own destiny and work your own way out of your desperation. Wabash College’s theatre department’s Thin Walls (Men)tal Health tackles the brothers’ predicament with some sensitive and witty writing and ending with a positive message. They wisely cut the story short so that at just 40 minutes, it gains in punch and pithiness. This is an ambitious production for a small stage, with a surprisingly large cast. A very moving little play. 3 stars.

Bloody Influencers, Greenside @ George Street.Meet Daisy – that’s @daisy_beautyme – a devoted Insta influencer with thousands of followers feeding her need to be loved and recognised. Just count all those clicks! Together with gamer Neil they make the perfect Influencer pair. But when Neil gets cancelled, and it’s revealed that none of this adoration is real, all the online affection just fades away. But what’s an influencer to do? They can’t just give up! Daisy Woolworth gives a brilliant performance as the bloody influencer, delightfully vacuous in her superficiality, who finally gets to realise who she really is and what matters in life. Don’t mention her super successful sister! Great fun, and with an important message for these social media times. 4 stars.

Lianna Holston and Michael McPheat: Starter Pack, Gilded Balloon Patter House.A very jolly presentation from Lianna Holston and Michael McPheat. After Lianna ascertained what I had for breakfast – not much – she was concerned that I would pass out through hunger at some time during the show. That was kind of her. Then it was over to Michael for the first half of the show, and the experience of growing up in Milton Keynes – I feel his pain – being the Gay Best Friend, and experiencing the horrors of a Baby Shower. I loved his material about his favourite aromatherapy! He then introduced Lianna’s act, which was beautifully constructed with perfectly chosen words delivered to maximum effect. She has terrific material about being a woman in a hedge fund company – not allowed anywhere near the finance – and had a nice aside about male comedians. She ends her act with some delightfully silly observations about frogs and other animals, which is much funnier than it sounds. Full of energy and very entertaining – great fun for a spot of afternoon comedy. 3 stars.

Hold the Line, Pleasance Courtyard.<Have you ever thought of what it would be like to be the person receiving the calls on 111 – the NHS non-emergency line? Gary Macgregor’s Hold The Line shows how stressful it can be, with unreasonable targets to be met at the expense of each operator’s personal time. Gary is one such operator, and on this one particular day, he faces having one client whose father dies – was Gary in any way culpable? – and another whom he tries to save from jumping in front of train. Quite the day! Well-constructed, the phones alone make you stressed! I personally didn’t care for the musical phone sequence – just not to my taste – but in all other respects well-acted by Gary and Gabi Chanova, and an eye-opening account of an aspect of the NHS that gets less recognition than it deserves. 3 stars.

Footballers’ Wives: The Musical, Assembly Rooms.<Confession time: I’ve never seen Footballers’ Wives on TV. The only character I’d heard of in the show is Chardonnay, and India Chadwick’s portrayal of her is exactly how I would imagine her. The musical, by Kath Gotts and Maureen Chadwick, is based on the plotlines of the first series, and involves infidelity, violence, more infidelity, sexual assault, and infidelity. There’s also a football team lurking in the background that doesn’t play much part in the story. The costumes are good, the voices are great and the songs are not bad, if a bit samey and predictable. This is a Marmite show; there were plenty of audience members whooping ecstatically throughout, and there were quite a lot of people who drifted out of the auditorium as it progressed, never to return. Some characters and actors were curiously underused, whilst there’s no doubt that Tanya Turner, played by Ceili O’Connor, is the star of the show and she gives an enjoyably gutsy performance. I suspect that if you enjoyed the TV series, you will love this show. If you didn’t see it, it might not mean much to you. 3 stars.

The Naked Neds, The Space at Surgeon’s Hall.Four Glaswegian pals sit around their pub table sinking pints and playing cards, and talk inevitably comes around to their missing fifth, Cammy, whose recent suicide came as a complete shock to all four of them. They want to set up a fundraiser in memory of their friend, and they can’t settle on a suitable choice until one of them suggests doing their version of The Full Monty. However, one of the four also has to confess that he has recently found a lump on his testicles but hasn’t bothered going to the doctor. Consequently they all find out about the correct way to check oneself for testicular cancer, and, despite natural reticence from one of the guys, The Full Monty goes ahead. This is a very funny, surprisingly moving play, that takes the serious subjects of suicide, mental health and testicular cancer and looks them straight in the eye, whilst never becoming either preachy or mawkish. Written, directed by and featuring Ingram Noble, the excellent ensemble of five actors put in great performances and it’s a thoroughly entertaining play. 4 stars.