written and performed by Kacie Rogers
directed by Jaquita Ta'le
Assembly George Square, Studio Four • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
Theres a lyrical quality to this one-woman show, as writer-performer Kacie Rogers grapples with her sense of self as reflected in a series of relationships. It's strikingly well written, using poetry, music and shadow projections to drive home the deeper ideas that ripple through her story. This makes it hugely resonant on a variety of levels, even as it's also a powerful comment on her own specific reality as a young Black woman. And she performs it in a vividly open-handed way that pulls us in, providing sharp moments of insight and some dark jabs of emotion.
Told through a fractured series of scenes that flow in and out of each other, the central narrative follows Rogers' journey to understand her own aspirations. To her therapist, she recounts a disastrous trip to New York to audition for an acting role, after which she gave up on acting and took a job selling windows at a farmer's market. And to her boyfriend, she is surprised when she reacts violently to his dismissal of her feelings. As she faces her grandfather's funeral, her dreams take her on a journey into who she is, where she comes from and perhaps where she should go next.
Running through this is a gorgeous a capella rendition of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car, which reverberates intensely with elements of her story. And several sections of Rogers' monologue are written as poetry. Clever lighting and projections add strong kicks along the way, as does her sideroad discussion of women from history whose names haven't been recorded, such as her ancestor who is only listed as "crazy woman" in an account of her 4-year-old son being sold as a slave. And Rogers' inner journey carries just as strong a kick.
details: OUTSIDE IN THEATRE • 12.Aug.24
Monkey Barrel 3 • Fringe 2024 ★★★★★
Almost absurdly likeable, Larry Dean bounds onto the stage and immediately has us in the palm of his hand, reeling off one hysterical joke after another. His stand-up feels effortless, as if he's simply speaking off the cuff, naturally funny in the way he recounts stories and makes knowing observations about the world. He also clearly enjoys clowning around on stage, and his glee is infectious.
Dean's humour stems from who he is, so he speaks about how he wishes he could be as smiley and positive as American comics, because if a Scottish person is smiley, "someone's getting stabbed". But he doesn't think he's Scottish, gay or autistic enough for those to define his act. Mainly he speaks about his hero, his 98-year-old grandmother, who died late last year. He continually circles back to his experiences with her over her final months, as she travelled deeper into dementia, and he just went with it.
Relentlessly funny, this is sharp and relatable humour that never takes the expected route through a joke. Dean is a terrific mimic, making hilarious physical transformations to quote a variety of people from his life, including his demonic inner voice. The stories he tells are personal and revelatory, so easy to identify with that we feel like we're hanging out with an unusually entertaining friend. And in stories about his boyfriend and his grandmother, he also beautifully captures the tension and balance between fame and real life.
details: LARRY DEAN • 12.Aug.24
written and performed by Louise Marwood
Pleasance Dome, Ace • Fringe 2024 ★★★
There are multiple intriguing layers to this one-woman show, which is essentially an exploration of how addiction affects identity. Louise Marwood writes and performs with very high energy, so the show has remarkable intensity that punches its themes in meaningful ways. It's also very full-on, with sharply written wording that is likely to trigger our minds to wander off and miss something, simply because it resonated in an unexpected way. Which might be a problem when the story moves this quickly.
In a repeatedly cocaine-fuelled buzz, Imogen (Marwood) appears on stage talking about how her drug of choice is "more". And she and her East End barber boyfriend Dexter are each other's enablers. Annoyed that life's rules apply to her, she decides to become a life coach under the name Rita Lynn. And she's surprised that it's so easy to lie so confidently to her clients. But she also knows that her dependence on cocaine is a problem, so she attends addict group meetings. The question is whether she's anyone without the drugs.
Well worth seeing as a display of Marwood's considerable talents, this is a cleverly written show that's performed to the hilt. Marwood slips easily between the various characters in the story, including a couple of cross-cutting moments that have an electric charge to them. And her performance encompasses a variety of styles, such as a scene in which her homelife with Dexter is played as a sitcom, complete with canned laughter. Watching her shift between roles is dazzling, especially with in several physically demanding moments. But even with its comical flourishes, this is a pitch-black drama that we watch with interest, rather than connect with on a deeper level.
details: LOUISE MARWOOD • 12.Aug.24
Manifesting Money, Real Estate and Hot People
Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker Two • Fringe 2024 ★★★★
A breath of fresh air in a lineup of deliberately edgy, cynical comics, this unapologetically silly show makes us feel like we're inside an immersive Saturday Night Live sketch. Erin Farrington is almost too in tune with her alter-ego character as she leads us through a new-agey seminar designed to help us manifest our dreams. She's so perky and over-involved that we can't help but laugh at virtually everything she says. And she's definitely feeling the energy in the room.
She begins with a guided meditation that becomes increasingly outrageous and surreal. "This is meditation, not hypnosis," she stresses. "I lost two years of my life to hypnotism." She works with specific audience members to develop mantras or manifestations based on tarot cards. There are continual reminders us that it's OK to be nervous about facing the truth. And she has some cautionary rules to help avoid bad cults, because good ones can be sexy.
All of this is performed dead straight; Farrington is earnest with big emotional expressions and frequent chirpy giggles, even as her infectious smile sometimes betrays some internal strain. She fabulously digs deep into the role, so her improvisational crowd work is seamless. In the end she shouts, "I did it," declaring that she has helped us achieve our dreams. The question is whether she will ever see hers realised. And we certainly hope she does.
details: ERIN FARRINGTON • 13.Aug.24
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