The Archive of Educated Hearts
Holden St Theatre – The Manse
Sometimes it feels like the Fringe is a busy whirl of colour, comedy and burlesque, punctuated by food and more food – and then if you’re lucky, you find a quiet gem like this solo piece amid the chaos.
After an award-filled debut run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Casey Jay Andrews packed her memories to bring this deeply personal show to Adelaide. Her performance venue is a room at The Manse, Holden St Theatre which she has dressed in the mementoes of the four women whose stories she shares at the centre of her solo performance. Dot, Karen, Auriole and Emma (and her daughter Molly) are the grandmother, mother, aunts and cousins of Casey, who lives under the spectre of the diagnoses of metastatic breast cancer in each of the four.
This show is not about death though – it is about life, and the choices of living with vigour and adventure. It’s about hiding your feelings about your diagnosis because you don’t want people feeling sorry or sad for you. It’s about creating life and memories though it would be easier to let sadness swallow you up. It’s about finding strength in the people around you. Using mixed media of photos, interviews, and spoken word in the small space in which it’s performed Casey gives an intimate, raw performance that is etched with love.
There are so many moments in this show that are emotional touchstones of our relationships with family and friends. The intimate space has the audience so close to the performance and each other, you’re drawn in without being conscious of it being a play.
If you’re a fan of powerful theatre, or perhaps you haven’t really found yourself connecting with theatre yet, this performance is one you – in fact anyone- should not miss.
Review by Sarah List
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