August 25, 2023 The Scotsman
I am sitting in the Dragonfly enjoying one of their fabulous cocktails and the great privilege of having one of Scotland's greatest gifts to comedy and storytelling create wonder and laughter and sadness and memories just for me. While that is a never-to-be-forgotten experience for me, it is a massive fail for everyone else in Edinburgh who wants to laugh, to care, to wonder and – as a special treat – to judge. This latest hour of enchanting taletelling has a clever twist.At the end of each of the five stories Martha tells, we, the audience get to adjudicate on whether she behaved, in the story, like a "Good Person”, or a “C***”. The stories are vintage, glorious McBrier, and, as such, all absolutely true. They range through the moral dilemma faced in a battle between Kate Bush and a memory foam mattress, accidental budgicide, Satanism, and death threats from a unhinged student in her lifeskills class.Some of the stories are harsh, because the times they come from were harsh. I almost felt sorry for Johnny Consequences, even though he was probably a Satanist. You have to listen to the woman herself to hear the music she makes with language. There is a laugh pretty much in every line she utters, and not one of them comes in traditional ‘joke’ form.This is comedy in its natural habitat, running free through stories and random thoughts. Any one of the tales is worth getting to the Dragonfly to hear, and be prepared for tears as well as laughter. Anyone who knows Cumbernauld is in for some very special moments here. Martha McBrier makes you believe that Thalia actually existed, and that she came from Glasgow. Kate Copstick Click Here For Review