Edinburgh Fringe hit brings National Treasure Su Pollard to Musselburgh for one night only

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It's her 2018 Fringe hit, Harpy, that brings her back to the Lothians later this month, when she reprises her role as Birdie in a brand new production of the one-woman play, written by Phillip Meeks.

The 90 minute piece, which was penned with the star of Hi-De-Hi!, You Rang M’Lord? and Celebrity Masterchef favourite in mind, comes to Musselburgh' s Brunton Theatre for one night only, on October 30.

The 'reinterpretation' is directed by Abigail Anderson and finds Pollard giving what has been described by critics as a 'tour-de-force’ performance.

A heart wrenching exploration of one woman’s struggles with mental health and loneliness, manifested through extreme hoarding, Harpy is, at heart, a bittersweet dramatic comedy that showcases a grittier side to the Su Pollard of the Eighties, the one we all know and love for light, comic roles such as Maplin's Holiday Camp dreamer, Peggy Ollerenshaw.

Harpy also asks us to look beyond our prejudices against those who appear to disrupt the norm.

Pollard says, "I am beyond excited to be bringing Harpy across the country at last - we've waited a long time.

"It’ll be terrific to be performing for a live audience and connecting with people once again, bringing this beautiful play to new audiences.

"Entertainment is essential, especially after the year we’ve had, and I can’t wait to get back on the road.

"The neighbours call Birdie a harridan and a harpy even though most of them have never even met her. They see her obsessive hoarding as detrimental to the value of their own homes.

"For Birdie, saving what others regard as junk allows her to make sense of the world around her; her possessions are memories of a time past. Shunned by conventional society, she regards it as her duty to salvage these tiny histories that without her would be entirely forgotten."

Harpy, Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, October 30, https://www.thebrunton.co.uk/

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