Reviewer: Charles Tyrer

The Public Reviews Rating:

Strip off the makeup; the uniform. Dig deep. Beneath the bravado, do you still conform to your ideal, to what ‘they’ want you to be?  Nobody dares reveal themselves, and why? We are indoctrinated by the prevailing culture of fear. We know we can never fulfill what’s expected of us, yet our aspirations remain stagnant. Underneath it all, don’t we know there’s a modicum of madness within us all?

Kiss Me and You Will See How Important I Am is a beautifully brutal and honest portrayal of humanity; of the soul. Alex (Eva O’Connor) welcomes her audience into her mind; she revels in, yet mocks our fascination with her. A young depressive who after much suffering ‘surrendered to the pharmaceuticals’ is now ‘better.’ She now understands ‘the formula’ that ‘they’ told her to live by.  She knows she’s different, but then so was Sylvia Plath… As Alex divulges, one’s intrigue grows for the three characters of various demeanors behind her. They soon reveal Alex isn’t the only one with issues.  It seems for these harrowed individuals finding peace in this bizarre landscape is impossible.

There is something infectious about Sunday’s Child. They are a young company who demand attention. One can feel the passion, belief and commitment they have to their work. Plath once wrote ‘Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.’ Refreshingly, Sunday’s Child have absorbed and acted upon Plath’s words. They strip you naked and remind you of who you are and why you’re afraid. Be prepared to get drawn into these characters mad world, but take caution when you step back into your own;  you will see the madness, and will need to question everything.

Runs until 27th August

Tags: C Aquila, C Venues, Dance, EdFringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Kiss Me and You Will See How Important I am, physical theatre, Sunday's Child