Edinburgh Fringe 2023
Oh My Heart, Oh My Home.
Casey Jay Andrews
Genre: Storytelling, Theatre
Venue: Summerhall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
The meteorite shook the ground as it landed, igniting a chorus of barking dogs. It felt as though the house trembled. Voices, soft and low, linger in corners; each a note in the composition of a home. The scrape of a chair, the distant hum of family dinners, laughter, a symphony of footfall on stairs. The kitchen tiles hold us while we dance, the house sings, outside the world fades. Gathered around a doll’s house, Fringe First-winning storyteller Casey Jay Andrews weaves a delicate fable about sanctuary, belonging and loneliness.
Review
Our host Invites us into her home where she tells us about her childhood, her grandparents and all about meteors! The room looks simple but there are many moving parts to this production, which open up one by one.
Written, performed and designed by Casey Jay Andrews this truly is her story and she is in command of her craft and creativity. That she has taken so much care about every detail in this production is much appreciated by the engrossed audience. It’s the type of show that has way more depth and dimension than one sees on the surface before it begins.
The small performance space is no longer a theatre but a shared place of magic. Andrews whisks us away to the land where she was young and has many memories – talking to us directly on one side of the stage with a musician on the other side playing instruments and singing including sound effects, music composed by George Jennings and Jack Brett with sound design by Jennings.
Directed by Dom Allen and Steve McCourt Andrews’ writing is vivid and economic and her delivery is committed, sincere and nuanced. Her sense of timing for each part of the story is engaging and personable, changing volume or tempo to bring us along and to let us know that she knows where she is taking us. Yet she is humble and confident at the same time, and has taken great care with every aspect of this show to infuse every part with her imagination. This is a special quality and hopefully we will see more work by Andrews.
The set consists of a large red carpet, some cushions, a dolls house and a projector that projects beautiful images of the sky and others onto an ingenious small screen. The dolls house and it’s contents move the story along with anticipation as each part is shared.
We have heard stories about childhood and endearing relatives before but this is different and unpredictable because Andrews has a fascination for meteors that certainly piques our interest. Not only do we learn a bit about meteors but we discover their immense value, which is important to this story.
The homespun attention to artistic detail, the high level of spirited performance and the sum of all its parts make this piece memorable and moving. It is the connection that one receives from the emotive and enthusiastic storyteller that is compelling as well as what she has to say.
This small and mighty piece is well crafted in text, design and performance. The integration of technology with projections and video and music played live make this a complete and fascinating performance that will hopefully be performed in the future after the Edinburgh Fringe. It is the kind of show that stays with you for days after seeing it and remembering the vivid visceral imagery makes you want to return to Andrews’ lovely welcoming space to watch and feel it all again.
