The Cow Play[author-post-rating] (3/5 stars)

This show (which does indeed feature a woman who turns into a cow) is a surprisingly subtle and interesting look at mental illness and the effect it has on relationships – with a healthy dose of surrealism to keep us on our toes.

Holly and Owen have just moved in together. Holly is fragile in some unspecified way, and Owen is looking after her and working in a call centre to pay their bills. His best friend, Tom, is not happy about this – he thinks Owen is throwing away his gift as a pianist and composer, and that he should be out travelling the world and not being Holly’s carer. Holly herself is painfully aware of both Owen’s sacrifices and Tom’s feelings about her. She struggles to get back on her feet and to cope.

And then she starts to turn into a cow. It would be easy to dismiss this as a cheap trick, a way of visualising mental illness and exploring Holly’s version of madness. Except that she grows a tail. And tiny horns. And stars to eat flowers and feel more comfortable on all fours. It’s done with a gentleness and understanding which belies its surreal and faintly ridiculous premise. Owen’s surprise at discovering Holly’s tail is well played, as is Holly’s desperation and desire to be rid of hit. She swiftly sinks into self-harm and self-hatred, trying to “fix” herself for Owen’s sake.

It’s a touching portrait of a couple under strain, as Holly sinks into despair and Owen falls into the role of her carer rather than her lover. He begins to crack under the pressure while desperately trying to hold it all together. Tom struggles with his feelings for Owen and about Holly, trying to help Owen escape in a way that will allow him to live with himself.

It’s surprisingly funny, mainly in the nuances of the relationships between the three of them and in the minutiae of everyday life portrayed on stage. The surrealism – which is almost Kafkaesque – is deeply rooted in the reality of mental illness and care, making it poignant despite the inherent humour of Holly’s physicality. Holly’s condition is almost secondary to the plot, which is really concerned with relationships, love and living your own life. The fact that the metamorphosis isn’t as central to the piece as you would expect is just one of the things that makes The Cow Play a quietly interesting show.

The Cow Play is at C nova until 26 August. For more information and tickets visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.