Water Colour theatre review: Shallow take on trauma
The two-hander tackles mental health by offering superficial solutions rather than subtle nuance
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Despite solid performances and an ambition to tackle a vital contemporary concern, Water Colour offers a trite depiction of trauma and therapy, in which suspect metaphysics resolves anguish through coincidence, struggling to rise above sentimentality and superficial characterisation. An art student suffers from anxiety, but when her mother turns up, she turns her life around. A cheerful lad rescues her from attempted suicide, only to apparently take on her trauma. Fortunately, his descent into mental distress, expressed through the magic of breakdancing, is redeemed when he later sees a mural by the artist that proves she has survived.
Their parallel stories suggest that despair and depression can be defeated swiftly, but the straight-foward dramaturgy emphasises a lack of nuance in the script. The two-person cast ably switch roles but the lack of connection between the protagonists wastes the play’s suggestion that such a bond cures mental distress. While exploring mental health is admirable, Water Colour provides more plot than analysis, suggesting solutions that are simplistic and not justified by a meandering and sanitised description of Glasgow life.
Traverse Theatre, until 30 August, times vary; picture: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.