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Summerhall – Former Womens Locker Room
The joyful life and adventures of an intrepid cockerel turn into a tale of perseverance and finding one’s place in the world.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Eva O’Connor steps into our circle of chairs wearing a dazzling chicken costume and matching red makeup. Seeing that is worth the price of the ticket alone, although it is just the tip of the iceberg for a memorable performance. Her knees slightly bent throughout and recurrent flapping of the wings are testament to her commitment to the character, elevating it to a solid degree of excellence. Human or cockerel, her talent truly stands out.
She begins by clucking in the round and pecking near the front row, then stares at us individually and pecks some more. When she finally speaks – reassuring us that this isn’t performance art and she won’t spend an hour pecking in silence – a sigh of relief comes from the crowd. This is the Fringe, after all, and anything is possible!
Since the day he was born – we are told the bird is a ‘he’ and is called Dan – our feathered host knows he’s destined to pursue his dreams and have an adventurous life. He’s been nearly killed whilst still in the egg, then rescued by a human couple and raised like a son along the green shores of Kerry. But that never feels enough for the intrepid cockerel who dreams of an acting career in Hollywood.
Perseverance is key and, after moving to the United States, the unstoppable Dan becomes the star of the jet-set – waddling from a piss-up with Michael Fassbender to a ketamine-fuelled party with Colin Farrell, and graced by an endless supply of chicks (both of the human and poultry kind).
Underneath that prominent breast, however, there’s also an enormous chickeny heart, brimming with courage and beating with passion. Being a silver screen celebrity hardly fulfils his yearning for a higher sense of purpose, until a return to the homeland proves crucial in finding his place in the world.
This is a clever work, that finds creative ways to criticise the exploitative society we live in – whether that affects entertainment industry professionals or the food we choose to eat. Have you ever thought that the disclaimer “no animals were hurt in the making of this movie” doesn’t extend to the catering truck? I hadn’t, but after watching this show, I won’t be looking at chickens the same way ever again. Praise to O’Connor and Hildegard Ryan (the other half of award-winning theatre company Sunday’s Child) for conceiving such an off the charts masterpiece and serving us an hour of sheer joy.
Created by: Eva O’Connor and Hildegard Ryan
Produced by: Sunday’s Child
Chicken plays at EdFringe 2023 until 27 August, 8:50pm at Summerhall. Further information and bookings here.
