Worklight Theatre are presenting three shows at this years’ Edinburgh Fringe, and Fix, which is at the Underbelly Cowgate venue has been commissioned by The Theatre Royal Stratford East. Co-written by Joe Sellman-Leava and Michael Woodman, it is an in-depth sensory experience which differs from the usual Fringe offering.
Fix has been developed through research and interviews with people suffering from addiction and those who work with them. A cast of three expertly fuse music and storytelling to bring to life the issues surrounding addiction. They have successfully avoided the more widely covered types of addiction, such as substance abuse, and focus instead on behavioural addictions.
It opens with a song about dopamine, the chemical which is released in your brain and causes pleasure. While the cast are quick to point out this is a melting pot of hundreds of different stories, we are presented with three characters. Zach has a gambling addiction, but seems to have got over the worst of it since the birth of his daughter Lilly. Maggie, doesn’t have an addiction but her husband does, he’s addicted to sex and relies on internet cam shows to get his fix. Finally, Robyn is a councillor, who needs to be an expert in all forms of addiction to help her patients.
It’s intriguing to see the issue of addiction tackled from these three different viewpoints, and how the addiction causes pain and suffering for more than just the person who is addicted. The cast are very believable in their performances with Fin Cormack as Zach giving the most intense portrayal of his character.
The inclusion of music definitely stimulates the senses whilst you are watching the production and you find yourself lost in the storytelling technique, even more so it gives you lots to think about afterwards too. Fix is a very enjoyable piece of theatre which will trigger big bursts of dopamine in the audiences who see it.
