By John Gibson. Venue 53: The Space @ Surgeon’s Hall

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The casting of a two hander is crucial.  Kellie Gamble is wonderful as Thora Hird, with an effortless delivery and an authenticity that Ant Hopkinson (playing Cobain) lacks.  Her delivery is musical whereas his is uneven.  Her accent is Morecambe whereas he says he is from ‘Aberdeen…Washington State’ and at times I heard the other one.

The staging in the sweaty room is sparse and uninspired.  So much so that despite being in costume as a Salvation Army volunteer, Hird exits the stage to her taxi in the same attire.  Cobain’s legendary cardigan looks like he got it from Vinted a few days ago, and has none of the lived in-sweated in-done smack in-look that it should have.

Nel-Haddon’s play proposes a fantasy meeting between the two legends in a BBC green room, but the chemistry between the two felt forced.  After ignoring her and hoping her chirping would stop, Cobain suddenly starts chatting, but the moment is not earned through a dramatic beat or revelation.

Both address the audience with inner monologues but these again highlight the lack of cohesion, as Cobain (despite crippling stomach pain, depression and occasional suicidal ideation) barely registers any other emotional energy (except torpor) but is tasked with delivering monologues about how he drew ‘men with breasts and vaginas’ and ‘satanic cocks spurting rivers of cum’. These weaknesses can be attributed to Plush Tiger’s direction and the absence of conversation in the script. The entire fifty minutes is composed of sparse dialogue and the only time any of them open up is in the monologues. Disappointing.