Louise Sullivan
Maybe I am not the audience for this show. I clearly had a very different experience of this show then several other reviewers.
What I saw was an hour of only partially comprehensible dialogue between who lawyer who sat and talked over each other while exchanging veiled threats against each other, each looking to get an upper hand over the other. I had no sympathy for either of them. A great deal of time was given to arguments with a Siri-like light controller which appeared to prefer one of the characters as they either used the coloured led strips to communicate emotional states or effect emotional states, I was not sure which.
At the end of the show I left repeating the title over in my head, "What the hell was that?" I am not sure I have an answer but I am not sure that matters. This is a very over the top frantic comedy and not my usual style of show but somehow it still worked and I had a most enjoyable hour when I just sat back and let it the experience happen (this is not a bad thing, I feel the same way about Shakespeare). The musical talent was extraordinary, and the commentary on AI in music silly and funny and tragic all at the same time, I will watch for these folks future endeavors and be sure to see them.
An ambitious and partially realized show.
I come from a family of pragmatists who discuss last wishes and DNR's at the dinner table, so I figured this would be up my alley and it, partly, was.
The writer set themself an ambitious task in grappling with issues of mortality, immortality, and technology in a one hour Fringe show. I think they partially succeeded. I particularly liked the main characters journey back and forth around the issues of death and acceptance. I also liked the working in of "grief bots" and our increasingly complex personal relationships with anthropomorphized technology.
My main challenges in watching the show were structural. It took me a while to catch the timeline of what was happening, and the monologue at the end appeared to come a bit out of left field and not be referencing anything from earlier in the story. I can't say more on that without spoiling the ending so I will leave it at that. Lastly some of the material was hard to hear with either background soundtracks or the microphone system,
I LOVED this show. This show is a beautiful blend of humour and heartfelt observation. I am a hard sell for autobiographical shows. But this one nails it. The writer/performer does not just tell the audience her story. She gives insights from it and poses questions leaving rhe audience much to think about beyond the theatre. Since I left rhe theatre I have thought much if my own mother, baking and traditions. First action when I get home… bust out mom’s bread recipe.
Highly relatable stories told with heart and humour. Tight performances with a simple but solid design. I loved the relationship between the three female presenting characters created by the cast, and I really liked the simple set which was beautifully utilised.