Review: NESS, Oran Mor, Glasgow

Written by Hannah McGregor and directed by Debbie Hannan, Ness is a co-production with Aberdeen Performing Arts and is presented in collaboration with Sanctuary Queer Arts.

Em (Afton Moran) has previously been close to their mother, cuddled up and listening to her stories of Scottish folklore. Em is currently camping out alone in a tent beside Loch Ness, feeling unable to go home as their mother (Annie Grace) refuses to accept their gender identity.

Feeling a bit lost, Em rages on the banks of the loch and is greeted by the fabulous Nessie (Craig Hunter). Nessie sashays her way ashore much to Em's initial horror. It turns out Nessie knows a thing or two about queer identity and has a history of helping out a lot of famous Scots. Nessie is self-assured despite some people's claims that they don't exist. 

Ness is a funny and heartwarming play about acceptance. Em is already sure of who they are but they want to repair this rift with their mother. All three actors give great performances in this play and it also contains the best dance sequence of A Play, A Pie and A Pint to date. The characters are well written and the friendship between Em and Nessie is a joy to watch. 

Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

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