Gilded Balloon at the Museum, Edinburgh
Alan McHugh’s play explores grief and the agony of treatment – but also hope and laughter in the face of adversity
What a lovely thing to have done. When the great actor Andy Gray was being treated for leukaemia before his Covid-related death in 2020, his friends agreed to stage a play inspired by his time in hospital. Hearing their plan, the nurses imposed one condition: it had to be funny.
Hard to see how it could be otherwise with this team. Chemo Savvy – a play on Kemosabe, Tonto’s name for the Lone Ranger – is written by panto stalwart Alan McHugh and stars Gray’s comedy colleagues Grant Stott, Jordan Young and Gail Watson, all experts in landing a punchline. So, yes, it is unashamedly about grief, guilt and the agony of treatment, but it is also about hope, reconciliation and laughter in the face of adversity.
