Review: How to Poop in an Outhouse at –58°C, Greenside @ George Street

It feels ironic that a show with a title about extreme cold must fight against the noise of fans trying to keep the space from overheating: it’s going to take some convincing to make us feel it’s anywhere near minus 58°C!

Kona Morris‘ story is incredible. After meeting Benny in Colorado at just 18 years old, she ends up on a road trip to Alaska, where she ends up staying. “I wanted nature and writing”, she tells us, and there’s no doubt she got the nature. Maybe not so much of the writing, as life in a small village community isn’t quite designed for it. 

She paints a beautiful picture of the scenery with her words, full of wonder at being so far north of the Arctic Circle. Her descriptions of Alaska are glorious, conveying the vastness of the state. It is the creation of these vivid images that is the show’s key strength. The contrasts are clear: between California and Alaska, and even between the winters and summers in this strange new world. 

Where there is less contrast is in the overall presentation. She moves from one tale to the next with hardly any change in tone, just an occasional lighting adjustment to signify we’ve moved on. This means it all becomes too one-dimensional, and stories merge into one another in a flow of endless words. There’s hardly a pause in her recital as she moves on, leaving us no time to adjust to the new story. The whole production needs to draw out the wonder of her stories, to give the audience more to cling to. 

It’s a shame as she clearly has some amazing tales to tell. The title itself is referenced with the occasional voiceover: it probably comes as little surprise that most things will freeze solid when it gets that cold! 

How to Poop in an Outhouse at –58°C offers up so many possibilities to tell us about this wondrous place and the crazy life she led there before returning to warmer climates. The writing is strong, and the stories she does tell are fascinating, but it feels like she is missing ones that could really draw on those contrasts. The title stands out and will pull people in to find out more, but there doesn’t seem to be enough to make this a story that will stand out from all the other tales of the crazy lives some performers lead. 

Written by Kona Morris
Directed by Padraic Lillis
Lighting Design by Claire Mcloughlin

How to Poop in an Outhouse at –58°C has completed its run at Greenside @ George Street as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.