So Young is an explosive drama that digs into love, grief and the weight of expectations.

Written by Douglas Maxwell, one of Scotland’s most celebrated contemporary playwrights, the story unfolds in Glasgow during the summer of 2021. Middle-aged couple Davie and Lanie are psyching themselves up for dinner at their old friend Milo’s apartment. Recently widowed after 20 years of marriage, Milo has asked them over to meet someone – his new girlfriend, 20-year-old Greta.

What initially seems like the cliched breakdown of a grieving husband, at least in Lanie’s eyes, quickly becomes something more complex. Lanie instantly judges and dismisses Greta, but So Young asks us to consider what it means to keep living. The play cleverly scrutinises grief, revealing the vastly different speeds and expressions it can take—anger, sadness, acceptance. There is no single path.

The cast are all spectacular, navigating a full spectrum of emotion. Ainslie McGlynn is perfection as passive-aggressive Liane, quietly seething until she can no longer contain her ire. Jeremy Waters is Davie, desperate to keep the peace but feeling increasingly frustrated at his wife’s outbursts. Henry Nixon begins as quiet and restrained Milo, making his vitriolic eruption land with shocking force. As Greta, Aisha Aidara displays remarkable emotional maturity, her subtle shifts in expression and posture, truthful and telling. All maintain impressive authentic Scottish accents, thanks in part to dialect coach Linda Nicholls-Gidley.

A Fringe First award-winner, the play is brilliantly directed by Sam O’Sullivan, who allows space for shock to ripple through the room and finds moments where fury can truly ignite.

Set and costume designer Kate Beere has created a detailed apartment interior, complete with separate spaces for the characters to engage in. Lighting Designer Aron Murray uses lamps to cast warm, soft lighting and spotlights to hone in on character revelations and monologues.

From love to grief to generational collisions, So Young is a wild emotional ride – it’s shocking, heartfelt and hilarious.

5 stars

Running for 80 minutes (no interval).

Presented by Outhouse Theatre Co in association with Old Fitz. Playing until 22 November 2025.

For tickets visit Old Fitz Theatre