A play all about hope, but not for the faint-hearted

Europe, which is on at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, was penned by Scottish playwright David Greig more than 20 years ago – such is the way of the world, it could have been written last week.

The presence of two refugees on a platform of a border rail station where trains never stop, is unsettling for the station master (as is his job prospects) and the local jobless.

In another sense, it is all about hope – the refugees Sava (Mark Faith) and Katia (Joanna Lucas) looking for a better future in the anonymity of city life; and station assistant Adele (Rebecca Elise), her dreams of travel to far flung places fuelled by the strangers.

This border post could be anywhere – director John Durnin has his cast of “locals” with Scots accents which, somehow, adds weight to the puppy-faced protagonists’ penchant for profane prose. This is not for the faint-hearted.

But it is not without humour, most of it from the superb Alan Steele as the station master, whose first instinct is to move his unwelcome visitors on, but with no help from Adele, who makes friends with the reluctant Katia.

Adele’s husband Berlin (Jack Wharrier) leads the disenfranchised youth, whose raison-d’etre is to plan protests and daub racial graffiti – in complete contrast to his wife’s ideological hopes.

Wheeler dealer Morocco (Cameron Johnson) is one of their victims as Berlin, Horse (Ewan Petrie) and shop steward Billy (Alan Mirren) give vent to their frustrations.

It can be a disturbing piece, full of hope and hopelessness, love and hate – disturbing because we know it is going on all around the world.

The set by designer Becky Minto is a superb construction, with the precast concrete pillars redolent of functional railway station architecture of 30 years ago.

Europe continues on various dates until October 13.