Performed at Applecart Arts' own theatre in east London, The Fall (written and performed by Sarita Plowman) is being shown as part of the Dazed New World online Fringe Theatre Festival.
This solo performance, part realistic and part fantasy, took as its theme, a young girl's Sunday morning visit to church with her mother. Before the service they were served tea and biscuits but she decided to drink the whole large jug of cordial left out for the youngsters. Naturally, half-way through the service nature called and she needed to go to the toilet, and of course, her strict and religious mother just scorned at her and told her to 'hold it in'.
Using some humour and imagination we are taken on this young girl's journey of both passed-on guilt and pleasure as she imagines all the congregation weighed down with their shame and guilt as she - through her act of weeing loudly and happily during the sermon - releases herself of both.
At times it is unclear whether it is the little girl or her older self pretending to be the girl as the two seemingly fuse and intermingle vagariously throughout which is a little confusing. Certainly she is 'acting' being a young girl, but the language and thought processes used are those of an adult.
Directed by Alex Howarth, this half hour one-woman show is entertaining and watchable, but ultimately unfulfilling. The life-changing realisation of the programme note isn't lived up to on stage.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 14/10/20
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