list.co.uk/festival list.co.uk/festival Food | FESTIVAL THEATRE
S a r a h C a m e r o n i n T h e R e d C h a i r P H O T O © M A N U E L VA S O N
PLAYING
WITH OUR FOOD
Rebecca Perry
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th t i di “ i h” “ t d “rich”, “epic”, “exuberant” and “devour”, so that indicates they feel sated by the piece.’ She adds: ‘We use the consumption of food as a metaphor and audiences are invited to interpret the metaphor for themselves.’ As for the actual food, she says mysteriously, ‘there are lots of evocations of food within the performance, making the audience very deserving of the fragrant, toothsome morsels that will be served up at key points. Come and i nd out.’
Lorna Irvine explores the Fringe acts addressing our obsession with nutrition
I n the rush to catch as many shows as possible, food is often the last thing on anyone’s mind during the Fringe. However, this year, several companies are offering up calorii c feasts on stage.
For breakfast, Clod Ensemble’s production The Red Chair should hit the spot. There is music by Paul Clark, and a chance to sample some free food and whisky. Based on Scottish folk tales, and inspired by generations of storytellers from the Brothers Grimm to Gogol, The Red Chair is a dark tale of gluttony, focusing on a man who won’t stop eating, his long- suffering wife and their ‘inveesible child’. Writer and performer Sarah Cameron says: ‘The language of the story grew over time, forged its own path and was central in creating the world of The Red Chair. We get lots of feedback and audiences use words like
Fresh from huge comedy tours, performer Helen Duff’s Vanity Bites Back deals with taboos surrounding anorexia, consumerism and stigmatisation. ‘There are so many new forms of consumption available online,’ she says, ‘all of which encourage a disconnect between body and mind – [it’s] too easy to get sucked into a world of i lters and FOMO [fear of missing out]. It’s no surprise live performance is seizing upon it, forcing reality into the frame and playing havoc with the results.’ Her character Jill hosts a clown cookery show, and is, Duff says, ‘very much a heightened extension of who I am. She’s glorious to play – bold and brash and completely ridiculous – especially when it comes to cooking a cheesecake live on stage. It is inspired by my experiences of suffering with anorexia, so that tension that exists with her public face and her deep isolation is a rel ection on the ways in which an eating disorder can cut you off from those you most want to connect with.’
She goes on: ‘Jill aspires to be the next Nigella Lawson TV cookery sensation, but has absolutely no idea how to go about it. There are songs and dancing – but a lot of them are made up on the spot, and certainly couldn’t be described as cabaret standard. It’s bonkers.’
Meanwhile, acclaimed Canadian actor, writer and singer Rebecca
6–13 Aug 2015 THE LIST FESTIVAL 79