We sent our reviewer James to watch Daddy Issues

Going through yet another heatwave, Edinburgh during the Fringe can feel a wee bit claustrophobic. Stood in Riddles Court today I seemed to apparently find the only place in the city where the wind channels through like natural air conditioning, sweeping away the cobwebs – much like Spencer Waldner is hoping therapy will do for his mind in his new play Daddy Issues.

Clover Studio is the most bijou of the spaces at Riddles Court, but this intimate theatre is a good fit for this intimate monologue about a very intimate issue. The play version of Waldner obviously feels there is something illicit about the revelation he is about to give us as instead of taking the stage immediately, he knocks almost apologetically on the door to the studio as if seeking permission to come in and then asks the audience to be jury for the tale he is about to tell. This is an intriguing opening gambit and one which it would have been interesting to see utilised more throughout the play. Instead, the piece plays out as a relatively standard monologue covering a number of sessions between Waldner and his therapist. The issue? Spencer Waldner is attracted to older men. Much older men.

Unlike many other plays of this genre that appear at the Fringe, it is refreshing for the protagonist of these monologues to have an in-universe character to be addressing and not just generically to be speaking to the audience. It gives them a particular point of view, a reason to conceal certain things or be otherwise potentially unreliable, and prevents them solely becoming just info dumps, which can be a danger otherwise. It also means that there is a question over whether the occasional fourth wall breaks, which do often draw laughs, are worth the break in tension taking us out of the fictional universe.

Waldner is a talented and engaging performer, so very easy to watch, but after the third therapy session, when it becomes apparent that there isn’t going to be a change of format, the drive of the piece does flag quite a bit and it loses its way somewhat.

Waldner is credited as writer, director, performer, and producer. This is no mean feat, but it is apparent that the play might have benefited from another friendly, dispassionate eye or two to assist with structure, tightening up the pacing, and helping to tease out the themes that are clearly there.

It is always great to see new queer writing that isn’t just about trauma, death, or coming out, and this is an intriguing premise, often well written with a lovely central performance. Despite the issues with Daddy Issues it will still make a diverting addition the Fringe itinerary of any folk interested in new queer writing for the stage.

Rating: *** 3 stars

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