IF YOU feel the need for a sobering hour or so amidst all the stand-up comedy at the Fringe, this hard-hitting play is just the ticket.
It’s an at times horrifying two-act two-hander that interweaves Britain’s most prolific serial killer Harold Shipman and the Covid pandemic.
But don’t let that, or the fact the Moors Murderers are a recurring motif that is mentioned right at the start, put you off.
This is an absorbing play and the suspense and horror are intercut with well-judged moments of necessary humour – albeit of the gallows kind.
The first act takes place in the aftermath of an elderly lady’s death, and as her children bicker it’s gradually revealed that her GP was none other than “Dr Death” himself.
I always think that the less you know about a film or plays, the more enjoyable they are and the greater impact they have.
So I won’t add any spoilers here, just dangle the cliffhanger that you will not suspect where this ultimately goes.
Emily Carding takes the roles of Georgie the daughter and Molly the care worker, while playwright Henry Naylor takes other roles in the drama.
Naylor, seems to be inviting us to contrast and compare the “killing for kindness” murder spree of Shipman with the callous disregard displayed by then Health Secretary Matt Hancock – who is mercilessly crucified for his role in proceedings – and his Tory colleagues during the pandemic.
And the fact the title references disgraced PM Boris Johnson’s notorious remark about not giving a damn about what Covid could do to the country indicates quite clearly which Naylor condemns as the worse mass murderer.
It feels a little overwritten at times but I can see this being adapted into an absolutely riveting TV drama.
Let The Bodies Pile High
16:00
Gilded Balloon Teviot Dining Room
August 6 – 28
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/let-the-bodies-pile-by-henry-naylor
