FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews
THE NATURE OF FORGETTING Exquisitely beautiful and moving physical theatre inspired by dementia ●●●●●
If a physical theatre show about early-onset dementia doesn’t sound like your thing, think again. This is a breathtakingly beautiful, punishingly energetic show from Fringe regulars Theatre Re that immerses us deep in the fractured mind of 55-year-old Tom – now struggling with the simplest tasks, but with vivid memories of his past jostling for attention in his brain. The Nature of Forgetting is probably the most
immediately accessible of Theatre Re’s shows, and despite its almost complete absence of text, its scenes are blissfully lucid through the evocative movement of director Guillaume Pigé, who also brings a startling intensity to the central role. At times the stage teems with such richness of movement that it borders on the euphoric, while at others Pigé suddenly pares things down to a single, fragile figure, lost amid emptiness. His three supporting cast members give hugely characterful performances in their own right, assertive but exquisitely nuanced as figures from Tom’s past.
Alex Judd’s Sigur Rós-style music, played live behind a battery of on-stage instruments, only adds to the show’s huge emotional punch, but that impact never feels calculated: it comes entirely from the story itself, told with disarming sincerity. This is a very special show, one that finds something joyful in the bleakest of tragedy, and one that inspires both celebration and compassion. (David Kettle) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), noon, £10.50–£12.50 (£9.50–£11.50).
BABY MAMA: ONE WOMAN’S QUEST TO GIVE HER CHILD TO GAY PEOPLE Motherhood from a new perspective ●●●●● DR CARNESKY’S INCREDIBLE BLEEDING WOMAN A journey into a lost past, an alienated nature and a future reconciliation ●●●●●
In a solo show about motherhood, you may expect stories that are celebratory, joyful or transformative. Mariah MacCarthy’s Baby Mama is an amalgamation of all three but it’s not your typical tale. Rather, it’s a story about making an impossible but selfless decision, relinquishing your right to an experience that many consider universal. From ultrasounds to burlesque performances,
MacCarthy provides an insight into her journey from pregnancy to adoption, with every detail laid bare. There’s hilarity in her candid stories about orgies and men with fetishes for pregnant woman but the show’s real strength lies in her ability to delve deep into the remorse and emotion of having to let go.
Her openness is refreshing and unrelentingly
brutal, as if getting the words out and reliving that period of her life is agonising but necessary. In the end, the quest is not to find the perfect gay couple but to come to terms with huge internal complexities. With moving and thoughtful narration, Baby Mama offers an unconventional but optimistic perspective on motherhood. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Greenside @ Ini rmary Street, until 12 Aug, 7.45pm, £10 (£7).
92 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017
Dr Carnesky may play ironically with her academic credentials but this show is a serious reclamation of female power. Introducing her ‘menstruants’ and ancient mythologies that celebrated, rather than abhorred, the female cycle, Dr Carnesky uses wit and intelligence to identify menstruation as a connection between the human and the natural world. The menstruants themselves are part cabaret
performers, part pagan high priestess. Their ritualistic routines draw on aerialism, Japanese performance, sword swallowing and body art to demonstrate the meanings of menstruation. From Dr Carnesky’s lecture, the atmosphere gradually becomes more intense: the woman-sawn-in- half magic trick is reversed, and female physical strength and endurance is expressed before the symbolic finale presents a bloody and spectacular triumph of the feminine. And even while rigid notions of biological gender are challenged, The Incredible Woman revels in the bodily, the sensual and the remarkable: (Gareth K Vile) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug (not 9, 21), 2pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9).
TODD AND GOD Lyrical tackling of faith and atheism ●●●●●
Todd (Richard Marsh) is part of a generation for whom atheism is almost fashionable. This lyrical performance tells the story of what happens when this unremarkable and faithless individual is asked by God (Sara Hirsch) to found a new religion.
As well as being an atheist, Todd is in possession of a significant ego, which overrides his scepticism: initially furtive and quizzical, his confidence swells as he settles into his messianic status.
Marsh also portrays Todd’s wife and his father in law, equally in command of these roles. Indeed, Marsh seems to reserve much of his energy for these ancillary parts, providing effective emotional punches while also highlighting Todd's ordinariness.
Hirsch’s God also thrives while presenting a
dichotomy: both saviour and corrupter, she lacks some menace during the play’s grisly denouement, but her performance is rich in suggesting danger. To criticise a piece which revolves around the
creation of a religion for being preachy feels absurd, yet the heavy handedness of the final monologue suggests the writer (also Marsh) lacks confidence in his work. There was no need to evangelise, the audience already believed. (Liam Hainey) ■ Pleasance Dome, until 28 Aug (not 15), 2.50pm, £11–£13 (£10–£12).