Mark Thomas delivers a gripping performance in Ed Edwards's one-man prison drama Ordinary Decent Criminal, now playing at Summerhall as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. The play is set in a modern Manchester prison where conditions are unusually good, following a 25-day riot at Strangeways that led to a softer regime. Each new inmate introduced by Edwards brings the story closer to catastrophe.
Thomas portrays a range of characters, including Frankie Donnelly, a recovering addict serving three-and-a-half years for importing drugs disguised as chocolate bars. Other inmates include Kenny, a vulnerable victim of sexual abuse; Robert, a white Muslim drug lord; Bron, a former soldier with PTSD; and Tommy, a possible IRA operative. The tension builds as interactions between these men threaten to trigger a chain reaction.
Edwards's script balances tension with humour, subverting expectations by revealing humanity and tenderness within the brutal setting. Thomas, under Charlotte Bennett's direction for Paines Plough, shifts adeptly between characters, from a Scouse drug lord to a Belfast terrorist, creating a distinct and dangerous ensemble.
The play offers a subtle analysis of the social and cultural forces that have shaped these damaged men, suggesting they are not entirely innocent but caught in circumstances beyond their control.
