Furniture Boys review – grab a seat for clever comedy that turns exes into beds and chairs

Underbelly, George Square, Edinburgh
A locked drawer that never opens, a rug that everyone walks all over … Emily Weitzman’s metaphors for boyfriends are ridiculous and revelatory

It’s a sight for sore backs. Fringegoers accustomed to fold-out chairs like those in the Underbelly’s Buttercup venue may ache for the cosy golden sofa that has pride of place on a stage stuffed with bric-a-brac. That would help prove actor-writer Emily Weitzman’s point. This is a show that explores our intimate relationship with furniture by turning her past boyfriends into a locked drawer that never opens up, a rug that everyone walks over and a fridge (so, so cold).

That’s a witty idea but, like an ingenious storage system, Weitzman’s show keeps revealing hidden depths. She also achieves a feat that many fringe comedians don’t manage as she makes a whole out of familiar elements: a wacky concept, heartfelt memoir, multimedia diversions, the story of her show’s own creation and a closing cri de coeur for artistic pursuits. It is a very well-made play.