Take Two Every Four Hours[author-post-rating] (3/5 stars)

Two young men are in hospital, sharing a room as one recuperates and the other gets slowly worse. We watch them bicker, fart and giggle away their long, lonely days together, as they each come to terms with the hand life has dealt them. It’s a smart premise, allowing for a lot to be discussed in a short space of time – there’s nothing like knowing you’re going to die to cut through the chit-chat and get to the meat of the matter. James (Ross Stanley) has terminal cancer, and relies on Freddy (Henry Regan) in the next bed to keep him entertained and to help him to the bathroom.

This two-hander covers a lot of ground in its 45 minute running time, but mostly manages to avoid feeling too contrived. Directed by Elliot Brown, the two young actors (who also wrote the piece) give believable and touching performances as teenagers thrown together and trying to make the best of things. They squabble, tease each other and piss about, but they also talk about death, friendship, family. It’s a tricky balance to find, and the script isn’t always spot on. Some of the banter feels forced and some of the deeper conversations don’t quite ring true. However, some other parts of it are genuinely lovely, as Freddy tries to work out how to tell James that he’s cured and is leaving the hospital – essentially leaving James to face his own mortality.

It does become schmaltzy from time to time and the ending is overly syrupy for my taste, but at its heart this is a sweet, good-hearted piece about male friendship. A decent script and lashings of black humour make this a touching piece about big themes, seen through the eyes of two semi-mature teenage boys trying to make sense of the world.

Take Two Every Four Hours is at Pleasance Courtyard until 26 August. For more information and tickets visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.