Michael Reid’s new solo play, Safety, is a taught thriller about a psychotherapist and his relationship with a patient who discontinues treatment. Cleverly written and expertly performed, the piece explores the erosion of boundaries and where the line is in a professional context.
Reid’s play is informed by the five years he spent working in crisis support and suicide prevention, and this knowledge of the care system gives depth and realism to his character, Adam. He skilfully uses the dual trusted role of healthcare professional and narrator to shape the story, making it easy to ignore some of the early red flags. Adam is likeable and relatable, a gay psychiatrist who has changed discipline as he feels psychotherapy is a better fit. He just wants to help people, and does pro bono work alongside his private practice. That is where he meets Bill, a no-nonsense Northern Irishman with Borderline Personality Disorder, who Adam is sure he can help if Bill will just continue his sessions.
Reid also chooses to explore the concept of Limerence in the play – an intense longing for another person (the “limerant object”) – a desire to be desired, often leading to persistent, intrusive and obsessional thinking. It is a term coined by psychologist Dorothy Tennov in her 1979 book “Love and Limerence”, and a state that Reid feels resonates with the experience of queer youth, necessary as it can be to interpret subtle signals to know if it is safe to express desire openly.
Safety plays a lot with the importance of labels and how they inform our assumptions about people, from Adam’s badge with “doctor” clearly displayed to Bill’s prior psychiatric diagnosis, and to those around sexuality. This is an entertaining dark comedy, while at the same time a thought-provoking and challenging piece of theatre. An outstanding debut play with a strong central performance, it will be exciting to see what Reid and his company Light Mends Carefully do next.
By Deborah Klayman
Safety plays at Underbelly Bristo Square, Edinburgh until August 30th 2026.
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