PLAYWRIGHT Alan Bissett’s Edinburgh Fringe show is examining class and fear through the lens of an unlikely subject – spiders.
The dark comedy sees Bissett, who is originally from Falkirk, play five different parts, two of them female, three of them male and none of them human. The characters find themselves locked up in a glass tank in a research facility, and over the course of the monologue-based performance the audience beings to learn why they are there.
Bissett – who is himself an arachnophobe – is bringing The Red Hourglass back to the arts festival after its initial run there seven years ago, citing his need to do something different to his successful Moria Monologues as well as the timely relevance of the play’s political undertones as his reason.
The playwright says through the show he aims to ask questions about the nature of fear and class in society.
“Whenever you’ve got a story in which animals interact with humans, especially a story told through the point of view of animals, what you’re really writing about is the class system,” the writer said.
“That is what Animal Farm is about, that is what Watership Down is about, that is what any number of stories written from the point of view of animals in which animals are anthropomorphised are about. What they’re really writing about is class because the common perception among all of us is that animals are subordinate to us.
“It’s not a play about Brexit, but Brexit’s hard to avoid for anybody. I think there’s a sort of whisper in there about the times that we’re living in.”
On spiders in particular, Bissett said he’s “always been quite scared of the wee bastards”.
“I find them very threatening creatures, but at the same time they’re fucking tiny and they can’t really hurt me so what is that fear about? It’s irrational,” he went on. “So then you start writing about irrational fears, and spiders for people are the archetypal irrational fear. That then allows you to start talking about social fears that people have.
“Why do we fear spiders and in a broader context why do we fear certain things? Who’s implanting these fears in us? Who benefits from fear? And these are the social questions that the play asks. The spiders are a useful symbol for that.”
Bissett added he was excited to be back at the Fringe again.
“Edinburgh’s the most exciting city in the world during the Fringe, 100%, absolutely the most exciting city in the world every year for an entire month.
“You’re competing against thousands of other shows and what that brings out of you as an artist is an absolute dedication to making sure that your show kicks arse every single time. And I really like that challenge.”
The Red Hourglass runs daily until August 14, 6pm at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. Buy tickets at https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/red-hourglass
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