The Tanner Review

The Tanner – a tour-de-force

If you are offended by strong language, that’s a shame because you will not be able to enjoy the wonderful and intimate production of ‘The Tanner’, as performed and written by Alex McSherry. This one-man show demonstrates, with no apology, the sheer brutality of war through the eyes of a soldier in William Wallace's army during two key battles with the English.  

At the opening of the play, the scene is set, and the audience is invited into the Tanner's world as he wakes up alone on the floor of his workshop.  However, this is only the beginning, and thanks to a masterful and convincing performance by Mr McSherry, we were carried along on an emotional journey and connected to the Tanners' story along with its ups and downs. 

I won’t be including any spoilers about the play, as it would be unfair for anyone who gets to experience this in the future.  Alex’s craft in using the space, eye contact, props and dark comedy to create rich dynamics was a joy to behold, as well as being convincing and immersive.  I have never used the term tour-de-force in my life, but I feel this is the time I’ve been waiting for to use it!

I was fortunate to see this play at K Teas Cafe in Wolverhampton city centre, an intimate and atmospheric venue perfect for this. It was the final performance of the superb examples of storytelling on the first day of the Midlands Fringe, each demonstrating, in very different ways, the richness of an art form I need to engage with more.  

David Price