This play about a woman who appears to fall in lust with everything she sees may not be for everyone, but it helps to have a drink in your hand!Summary
Rating
Good!
Molly Sharpe’s one-woman play Murder, Oops! centres around a woman who appears to fall in lust with everything she sees, be it man, woman, or rabid bat. Every character is played with a huge amount of energy by the actress, and she darts across the small stage picking up props and throwing on hats in order to portray each one. It’s a very physical performance — little wonder she is so out of breath by the end of the show — and so her commitment and charisma are commendable. In addition, her voice is strong and clear; impressive, considering that there is no vocal track and she eats multiple mouthfuls of pizza onstage! The small, intimate venue of Clover Studio allows her to take full command of the space and lead the audience through the story she tells, breaking character occasionally to offer the audience free pizza or ask her father to step out of the room before a particularly explicit scene.
While her performance is strong and fairly endearing, the book itself is rather weak, being both sporadic and yet repetitive all at once. I couldn’t help but feel as though I was a parent watching a play my child had eagerly but haphazardly put together — an impression furthered by the fact that her father was the one on tech (which was then, as mentioned above, complicated by the sexual nature of the production!).
The main character ricochets from man to woman to floorboard-dwelling-creature to doorbell with little to no explanation. In that respect, it almost puts one in mind of Fleabag, a previous Edinburgh show in which a woman has many romantic partners, but without the wider commentary or depth of characterisation. Not every show has to be Fleabag of course, and comedy for the sake of comedy is not a crime, but during the long stretches where two characters did little beyond make out with one another, I had plenty of time to wonder what the motivations of the main character were and yet was left lacking an explanation by the end.
I should acknowledge, however, that around me, the audience laughed throughout and applauded with great gusto at the end. It is entirely possible that I personally was just not the target for this production, expecting it to be something it was not, and maybe being pulled a tad too far out of my comfort zone. Sharpe is talented, and whilst this show wouldn’t be something I would rush to see again personally, I wouldn’t discourage attendance either. It’s not for me, but it may be for you — and perhaps it helps if you have a drink in your hand!
Written & Produced by Molly Sharpe
Murder Oops! plays at the Clover Studio until Saturday 23 August.
