Disorder
Kincaid Productions
C Nova, Studio 6
Reviewed 8^th August 2015
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/disorder

One-note and lacklustre  

Based on the truthful experience of the writer, Disorder is a new play that broaches the subject of bipolar disorder. The writer’s intent is to display a different perspective – a perspective that focuses on how the family copes with the extremities of the mother’s battle with bipolar.

We are introduced to the mother and son in a visiting room. Based on what we already know by the blurb, we establish straight away that the son is meeting his mother in a psychiatric ward.  The action switches back and forth between this moment and specific shared memories that force both of them to confront and empathise with each other’s perspective of how the mother’s bipolar brought the events about.

This is a really important perspective to delve in to as there are many people struggling to help their respected loved ones with mental illness. However, the performances skewed this intended perspective. The mother character is over-acted and we see no vocal or physical change from beginning to end, which makes her performance uninteresting. She maintains an incredibly highly strung energy throughout the whole play and we get the ‘crazy woman’ vibe which makes it near impossible to empathise with her or connect with how she views the world.

Combined with this, the son’s performance is lacklustre and gives the impression he is completely unaware of his mother’s manic disorder and it has no effect on him. These performances make it difficult to connect with any perspective and we end up wondering who we’re meant to side with.

Clairvoyant
Bettine Mackenzie
C Nova, studio 5
Reviewed 8^th August 2015
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/clairvoyant

Engaging and endearing

On a next-to-nothing set up on a small stage, one woman wonder, Bettine Mackenzie displays a 50 minute absorbing absurdist journey into a series of characters. Drawing us into the world of performance, we are introduced to an endearing girl whose dream is to perform. With the beat of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, we are seamlessly transformed to the lives of other woman. How they are connected?

Apart from the lighting change, it is not clear how the worlds of these characters link but the intricate craft of the script allows us to join our own dots. A neurotic Scottish woman at the end of her tether, a posh lady sorting out her estate before she passes, a young girl using her disinterested mother as guinea pig for her magic – each story is completely different and yet they all share the same sense of desperation for control.  

Mackenzie is a dynamic performer with a unique physicality displayed in a completely different way for each character. It is impressive to see such a physical diversity in playing five different woman without resorting to clichés or female stereotypes. With nothing but a few lighting changes to support her, her charm, wit and precision makes for an engaging and endearing performance that keeps us mesmerised the whole time.

Her performance is incredibly self aware and I’m in awe of the way she manages to keep a strong connection with the whole audience without directly confronting us. 

Institute 
Gecko 
Pleasance Courtyard, Grand Hall 
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/institute  

Outstanding

With a show this impressive and high quality, I do not expect it to be presented in a fringe festival. I then remember it’s the Edinburgh Fringe and because of its sheer size and audience numbers, it is far more feasible to have a show of this scale here. This is the most outstanding production I have seen to so far.

Institute is a physical theatre show by renowned performance company Gecko. It uses contemporary dance, French dialogue and fast paced jerking movements to explore a somewhat ambiguous narrative about the entrapment of institutions and human kindness. The fast moving action keeps us on our toes. Just as we catch up to the action and story, it moves on and we’re stuck; lost trying to keep up. I’m not sure if this is intentional but it is highly representational of the characters’ lives – struggling to keep up with the systems that have led to their being institutionalised.

The theatre – Grand Hall – has a very high ceiling, reminiscent of an industrial space which is almost too perfect for this show. The stage is bordered with very high, metal filing cabinets with a large space in the middle for the action to play out. The height traps the performers and transports us to a dystopian society that isn’t too far from what society is really like. The cabinets open up to transform the stage to a different time and place.

It’s delightful to see every inch of the set get used in a different way. A particular highlight is the skimming through the manila files that, when opened up, project out certain memories. It is a rare and beautiful form of performance where physicality speaks so clearly. A must see.

Feminasty 
Megan Ford
Underbelly, wee coo, George Square 
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/feminasty
⭐️

Confronting

The performance starts out by calling us “artsy liberal cunts” which is a perfect way to diffuse all audiences of their sense of entitlement and bluntly remind us that Megan Ford isn’t here to have a nice conversation about feminism – it’s not called ’feminicey’ she reminds us.

In fact, she knows exactly who her audience is and admittedly, I am there because of the title. I want it to be nasty towards the patriarchy and unapologetic and it is!  

In her show, Megan Ford quite ironically plays a series of familiar woman we see in the media every day. Woman who are sexualised, objectified and made a mockery of. Woman who are inflated with femininity and are confined to that binary. Woman who are anti-woman and compete for the male gaze. These short sketches are intercut with short audio interludes of either song and ads that contribute to the feminist commentary.

‘Well, the patriarchy isn’t gonna fuck itself’ is on her shirt in the final scene that boldly encourages us to also get ‘feminasty’. I don’t want to say that this show is ‘preaching to the choir’ because it’s a topic and conversation we all need to be reminded of and made aware of how people get away with everyday sexism.

It’s a confronting reminder that we still have a long way to go. However, the title attracts a specific demographic and puts off the ones that need to hear it the most.  

Megan Ford is an inspiring and talented performer who is so bold and forthcoming that we have no choice but to respond to and engage. Keep spreading the word because it’s important.

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