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Actor and playwright Nicola Wren spills the beans about her relationship with her family, what it means to be the youngest sibling and the downsides of being the sister of a superstar.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Nicola Wren is one of this year’s winners of the Fringe review bingo, the unofficial (and also not actually existing) prize that goes to those shows with reviews covering the full range of star ratings. Her self-penned one-woman show revisits the most memorable episodes of her life and acting career, from conception to present day. To do so, she chooses a tongue in cheek tone, half documentary, half tell-all talk show.
Admittedly, her life doesn’t have much interesting to talk about, if not for the fact that she’s the youngest sister of Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin. But what this show is really trying to say is that her life – as well as the subject matter of this show – are too often overshadowed by her brother’s stardom. Being the youngest, she’s always craved her siblings’ approval. Their opinions, even indirectly, have constantly interfered with her own self development. Superstar is an attempt to unearth that feeling of having arrived at the party too late and missing all the fun – which many of us can relate to.
It’s tempting to think audiences are attracted to Superstar because of their curiosity for celebrity gossip. Even though it never features on the bill, the big name is passed on through word of mouth and hovers over the play’s reputation. It is difficult to tell whether it would still have the same appeal without it.
However, having seen Wren’s previous work Replay at the Fringe 2017, I was stunned. At that time I didn’t know anything about her high-profile relative and loved everything about that play. It was very intense, the writing engaging and the delivery quite emotional (yes, I cried). She really is a talented theatremaker and, now that she’s brushed this big chip off her shoulder, she might feel more empowered to go ahead and pursue a brilliant career doing what she loves the most.
Written and Performed by: Nicola Wren
Directed by: Sadie Spencer
Producer: Nicola Wren and Something for the Weekend
Box Office: +44 (0)131 226 0000
Booking Link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/superstar
Booking Until: 25 August 2019
