Water Colour review – an elegant, expertly handled study of depression

Traverse theatre, Edinburgh Milly Sweeney’s award-winning two-hander about an art student and a kitchen porter draws power from its clever structure and light touch It is rare to come out of a show raving about the structure, but the unusual plotting distinguishes Milly Sweeney’s two-hander. The young playwright’s theme is the way everyday social pressures – the stress of completing an art degree show, the anxiety of starting a job – can take a toll on mental health. With sensitivity, she traces the step-by-step process that might take someone from depression, compounded by circumstance, to thoughts of suicide. Her characters are Esme (Molly Geddes) – friendless at Prestwick Academy, isolated at Glasgow School of Art – and Harris (Ryan J Mackay), seemingly on the up after landing a job as a kitchen porter in a Michelin-star restaurant...