Scribble

Ross is in his local supermarket’s cereal aisle. Rooted to the spot, he stares at the bran flakes. A pair of yellow shoes passes by. His mind whirs about his girlfriend Fiona, the stone he clutches and the characteristics of stars.

The PhD student’s thoughts form a stream-of-consciousness monologue that makes up most of Scribble. Generally circling the theme of mental health and anxiety, there are are a couple of surprises in his ramblings. Unfortunately, however, they aren’t explored in depth and there’s little at stake.

Alan MacKenzie as Ross tries his best to be engaging, but stumbles on some of the clumsier parts of the script. Another actor supports from an on-stage desk with an angle poise lamp and a script. This performer is different for every performance, but there’s no reason for this variation. If they had more involvement or got stuck into the edgy material that’s barely touched on, this could be an interesting device. But other than reading introductory and closing letters from the creative team and a bit of dialogue in the middle, they do little other than watch MacKenzie’s performance.

Running at a mere 45 minutes, this is a show that feels too short to achieve what it sets out to do. A lack of clear focus means it makes generalised comments on the daily struggle of life with an anxiety disorder, but Ross’s story isn’t detailed enough to drive this message home.