SOFTEN THE GREY: THE REVIEWS BUXTON FRINGE: “Attacking the text like their life depended on it (and in some respects it did) this brand new piece of abstract theatre entertains in great measure and then suddenly turns to twist the emotional knife. As a dead diver turns up at the Citizens Advice Bureau for the deceased, he is grilled and interrogated by the devilishly eccentric and slightly devious receptionist. The choices laid before the dead man are acted out in a very slick sequence of fast paced flashbacks (instigated by a fabulously simple device of a hotel desk bell). The relationship between the two actors generates so much energy and focus that ultimately pulls you into their philosophical debate: if there is a God, how much power does he/she have, what does eternal paradise look like and how appealing does reincarnation as a Fainting Goat sound? The writing is quite exceptional; fast, clever and without falling into clichés or pretension, the two actors bounce off each other with precision and brilliant comic timing. For a piece that deals with some very heavy issues, it switches from an excellent sequence involving a 'shoal' of fish jokes to a moving account...