Belly Button

Belly Button hits a lot of those classic fringe themes and tropes: Queerness, Ensemble cast, Movement Training, some traumatic event...

That being said, it does some of the things well. The ensemble works very well together, almost "inside out"-esque and provides some cute stage pictures and light hearted moments.

The story is a little odd, not that that is the issue, but it takes about 30 minutes for things to actually start building from beyond the context. The first half did have most of the energy, however, so by the time things started to get a bit more convoluted the energy was dying out.

Set design was simple and effective. Particularly in part 2, although my own thought would be that it's a pain to set up when so little is used. The large stage is used mostly well, which is a shout out to the directorial choices.

Fringe audiences will love this, however Belly Button doesn't do anything new or exciting to make it stand out from similar genre types.

With poetry and precision, Belly Button tells a queer love story that transforms family and identify. The skilled use of an ensemble to represent Q's inner monologue adds humour, movement and depth. A beautiful and funny story about being South Asian and Sapphic.