Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Low Down
We all have two things in common – we are all born and we all die. But, Cathrine Frost tells us, we talk far more about death than about birth, ignoring a huge part of the female experience. Good Luck, Cathrine Frost! aims to change all that.
Review
From the moment we walk into the auditorium, Cathrine Frost establishes a rapport with the audience, introducing herself to each and every audience member and shaking our hand. It’s crucially important that she does so as the trust she creates with the audience is absolutely fundamental to her show and wouldn’t work without it. We are in the hands of a maestro of audience participation.
There are two things that unite us all, Cathrine tells us: birth and death. And yet, we talk far more about death than about birth. The Greek philosophers write whole treatises about death but ignore birth. And with that, she invites an audience member on stage to play Socrates and proceeds to berate him for his ignorance about women’s health.
She intersperses factual knowledge about women’s reproductive health with her own very personal story. It’s an unusual format but one that plays dividends. While it never feels like a formal lecture, Catherine manages to share critical information about childbirth, miscarriage and abortion with us. From becoming pregnant and her consequent miscarriage to her next pregnancy and giving birth to the ‘ugliest baby in the world’, Cathrine tells us her story which so many women share. What is astounding is that although the experience is so common, even as women we know so little about the details of miscarriage or childbirth. And Cathrine is here to change that.
Intensely physical, Good Luck, Cathrine Frost! Manages to combine sensitive material with philosophy and humour. Playing pankration with Socrates, breaking tiles with audience members and wild costume changes are all somehow integrated into the show. As is audience participation, and here, Cathrine Frost is in a league of her own. While what she asks audience members to do is ludicrously outrageous, it is never at any point threatening but is handled with the utmost sensitivity and care.
The play is scripted by Cathrine Frost herself (Cathrine Frost Andersen), Mats Eldøen and Marie Ulsberg; it’s skilfully crafted allowing the elements of storytelling, philosophy and comedy to combine seamlessly. Mats Eldøen’s direction brings all this to life beautifully.
Cathrine Frost is a seasoned actor with award-winning Det Andre Teatret in Norway. Good Luck, Catherine Frost was a smash hit in Norway, a finalist for the Hedda Award 2023 as Best Theatre Play and has been playing to sell out audiences there since 2022.
She’s an incredibly skilled performer, particularly in establishing that critical rapport with the audience. Good Luck, Cathrine Frost is an innovative, entertaining show that takes big bold risks and pulls them off. Brava, Cathrine Frost!
