Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
Summerhall – Former Womens Locker Room
A moving tribute to family love, resilience…and meteor showers!Summary
Rating
Excellent
In this story, written and performed by Casey Jay Andrews, a woman returns to her grandfather’s house to celebrate her thirty-third anniversary and watch an upcoming meteor shower – the same that her grandparents watched the day she was born. This turns into an opportunity to rediscover her own priorities and what gives her happiness.
Andrews is a versatile artist, whose skills aren’t limited to the performing arts. She is also a Senior Designer at Punchdrunk Enrichment and previously involved in the design of The Burnt City. On this occasion, her story is supported by a beautiful dolls house that she has refurbished and redecorated.
This moving narrative is a celebration of shared family memories and the connections that make us who we are. The wording is gentle, evocative and, gathered around the dolls house, we are in awe at the tiny world that’s unravelling in front of us. Initially covered by a curtain, each room is revealed as the story unfolds and we find out more about its past and present inhabitants. Projections bring it to life in mesmerising ways and the music performed together with Jack Brett provides much needed breaks that allow the events to sink in.
Storytelling is such a powerful tool. Arguably one of the first forms of performing art to have emerged, it is still used nowadays to inspire, share knowledge and find catharsis. Children and adults alike can entirely connect with the storyteller and follow them into worlds where anything can happen under the spell of magic realism. To do so, however, the storyteller must follow a set of rules to keep their listeners engaged, which here are bent a little.
Andrews’ tendency to come in and out of character might be endearing at first, but it takes us abruptly out of her wonderful microcosm of big old houses, lush trees full of memories, and immense night skies glimmering with stars. Also, the steadfast delivery – understandably dictated by time constraints – doesn’t give us quite enough time to absorb it all, and an extra ten minutes would be beneficial.
This is an ode to resilience and what we are prepared to do in order to protect the things we love. As a number of shows at this year’s Fringe have, it looks for ways to escape loneliness and reconnect with society in the aftermath of the pandemic. It reinstates the pleasure of sharing physical spaces and being in close proximity with other human beings, which is what storytelling has always been about.
Written by: Casey Jay Andrews
Directed by: Dominic Allen and Steve Mccourt
Composed by: George Jennings and Jack Brett
Produced by: Casey Jay Andrews
Oh My Heart, Oh My Home. played as part of this year’s EdFringe.
