Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Low Down
A play about boobs hosted by Lucy’s boobs. We are taken on a journey through Lucy’s life that eventually leads us to a boring Brian and a lumpectomy.
This play is lots of fun but also promotes the awareness of breast cancer.
Review
A show about boobs, hosted by Lucy’s left boob and right boob. This is a comedic and educational show that describes the story of Lucy’s journey through breast cancer. Close to Home Productions’ show arrives at the Fringe after its triumphant tour of the UK.
The set is pink, the props are pink, and of course, the costumes are also pink as well. Two actors in massive, inflatable boob costumes enter the stage and welcome the audience in, to see what happens in the life of a boob. Left Boob flirts with an audience member before giving them the responsibility of ‘time-keeper’ to make sure they complete the show in sixty minutes, the same time it takes to complete a lumpectomy.
We are taken on the adventures a boob goes on through life: from bra fittings to their first meeting with Lucy’s first love ‘Brian’. The boobs try to give Lucy advice she can’t hear and react hilariously to events that happen throughout the play. However, as the play goes on, we start to realise there is a difference between Left Boob (Hannah Harquart) and Right Boob (Rae Bell). As Left Boob gets jealous of all the attention Right Boob is getting, what’s happening to Right Boob slowly dawns on Left Boob.
The set design is amazing and everything looks soft, homely and cosy. The Director uses set and props very creatively: from the space hoppers representing Lucy’s running boobs to the hanging transparent sheets used for scans and operations. Everything about the design is intelligent but functional. The set and costume always look pretty, with smart scene transitions or costume changes throughout. It never feels like you are waiting for something to change and all the scenes flow into one another. Any props that are used are taken off effectively or shrewdly put in specific places onstage which makes the piece so aesthetically pleasing.
This play raises awareness of breast cancer through a funny storyline, fun audience interactions and voice excerpts of people who’ve suffered from breast cancer. It shows the scary side of going through treatment without forcing the severity of the material and sometimes educational plays can be too heavy or triggering. The space felt very safe and comfortable with plenty of ‘trigger warnings’ beforehand. It was a very relaxed and laid-back dive into what is a very sensitive subject. A beautiful play that made me laugh yet made me pensively consider the repercussions of breast cancer and how it affects people. Using humour and audience interactions, the play cleverly draws you in, whilst subtly getting a very important message through. Despite this being a play about a serious topic, it just felt so fun and I had so much fun watching it.
I always love plays where we are involved, I thought it was brilliant when they ran into the audience with some rope and invited a strawberry-lace-lover to the stage for a strawberry-lace eating contest.
From the title, to the message, to the storyline, to the script: this is the perfect show. Both actors have so much fun onstage and hit the serious points in the script with profound respect. The comedy in the script is smart yet imaginative and is presented by the actors in an entertaining fashion. Interactions with the audience were great with subtle messages about consent mixed in. With any improvisations with the crowd, the actors were always relaxed and quick to respond. The stage was live with the actors’ performances and both performers had confident presence.
This play is filled with real experiences from women with Rae Bell writing this story from her and her mother’s own troubles with breast cancer. You can tell this play comes from a genuine, real place, and the message gets through.
An exceptional job has been done by both the Director (Maya Shimmin) and the Writer (Rae Bell) in tackling a weighty theme and making it so enjoyable, but always subtly reminding us of the theme. The play is well-paced and the story is given time to settle without it ever feeling stale. Identities is an outstanding show that deserves all the credit and success it receives.
Courageous, fun and fantastic. This show is a triumph and hits the mark. They raise awareness for breast cancer in such a feel-good way.
