EDINBURGH 2019: Review: SINCE U BEEN GONE, Assembly Roxy

Teddy Lamb's Since U Been Gone is two stories inextricably weaved together. The first is a tale of friendship and grief. Lamb addresses the audience as if their best friend, updating them on life since her death the way you would meeting up with an old pal. The second is Lamb's own queer coming of age, changing pronouns and learning to love and express the person they truly are.

This is a "memory play", and Lamb is joined onstage by musician Nicol Parkinson, because music and nostalgia are so strongly linked. Music is used well throughout, and the interaction between the two adds further depth to this otherwise solo show. When Lamb remembers a teenage crush, Parkinson employs a simple stare that creates a blush and a fluster. It gives us even further insight into the young Lamb and their high school friendships.

Lamb goes through all emotions in the play, frequently returning to anger and frustration. Much is made of the things unsaid or the things they didn't know how to say between friends. It is cathartic to watch and hopefully for Lamb to perform. It's funny, too, and self-aware, whether the millennial missing Pride for a Taylor Swift concert or mining Facebook Messenger conversations to remember those now gone.

At points the narrative is messy and a little confused, though this may be the very nature of a play made from memories. Lamb holds things back at the start, alluding to and then turning away from important moments. Though it's clear they are building the narrative, the play is at its best when raw, letting all emotion tumble out.

Their confidence and vulnerability mixing together at the end as they share their journey to self-acceptance as a non-binary trans femme is uplifting and powerful. There is still much more to be done in society to create a safe, accepting world, but, though born out of grief, this is a show that celebrates the safety of friendships and the families we make for ourselves. Those gone will never be forgotten, but you can still share your story with them - be it talking, writing it down or making it into a play.

https://www.hightide.org.uk/productions/since-u-been-gone

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