EDINBURGH 2023: Review: I HOPE YOUR FLOWERS BLOOM, Scottish Storytelling Centre

I Hope Your Flowers Bloom is a story about friendship, unrequited love and firm facts.

During lockdown, Raymond’s friends moved to seaside homes or Dubai to escape the bleakness of concrete buildings in his hometown where he is stuck. He’s always found comfort in facts and has a special interest in plants.

He starts working in an artificial rainforest, explaining the power of plants to disinterested children. He likes it in the rainforest as he can control the climate with the touch of a button. During lockdown and at a time in his life where he has felt so out of control, this serves as a comfort.

A semi-autobiographical show, Raymond then meets Flo. A carefree woman with a sense of adventure, who decides during lockdown to convert a van into a camper van and explore more remote areas of the country. Raymond falls for her and this friendship is important to both of them.

The point where this lost me slightly is when Raymond’s obsession with Flo intensifies. He talks about wanting to change his personality to be more like someone that she would fall for. The pair have adventures together and he passes the rest of the time counting down the minutes until he can see her again.

The staging is good, large cubes feature grey concrete walls on one side and blooming flowers on the other and these are shifted as his mood and surroundings change. Raymond Wilson is a confident performer and putting aside the slightly creepy obsession with this woman, this is an interesting insight into male vulnerability and seeking for comfort in certainty.

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