Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Jessie Cave: An Ecstatic Display
Jessie Cave
Genre: Solo Show, Stand-Up, Storytelling
Venue: Assembly
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
An Ecstatic Display, written and performed by Jessie Cave, delivers one hour of quirky storytelling which includes stand-up, props, shadow puppetry, crowd work and Shakespeare. Her personality and charm make the show a very entertaining one, skillfully weaving its many concepts. The show is incredibly unique and a testament to the talented, fun and powerful voice of Jessie Cave.
Review
An Ecstatic Display, written and performed by Jessie Cave, delivers one hour of quirky storytelling which includes stand-up, props, shadow puppetry, crowd work and Shakespeare. Introduced jokingly by Cave as her first show which she wanted to be pure stand-up, it reads more as a one woman show with a very original amalgamation of many genres. With incredible vulnerability she takes the audience into her motherhood journey with four children, her relationship, social anxiety and the death of her brother.
Jessie Cave is a powerful and original voice. Her personality and charm make the show a very entertaining one, skillfully weaving stand-up, storytelling, characters, puppets and props. The amount of concepts and the short run time called for some ideas to have been developed more, often they were picked up and dropped too quickly, to move on to the next. Awkwardness is a great vehicle for her comedy which she uses expertly, having some unexpected and carefully crafted jokes. In terms of stand-up, and equally to the concepts introduced, some of the jokes would have benefitted from a less rushed delivery and some of the punchlines could’ve been stronger. However, in terms of a one woman show Cave showcases an outstanding vulnerability which is darkly comedic and full of depth. Very naturally she shares deeply personal elements of her life, which both relate to important themes in society and are unique to her experience. Her self awareness about her own life is incredible, she has a talent for creating complex and layered arguments, making you feel for her, question her and laugh with her. The strongest element of the show is its originality and magnetism, the show exudes the multitude of Cave’s interests and talents as a writer, performer, illustrator and puppeteer.
I particularly enjoyed getting to know such a distinctive character. As soon as you walk into the room and see the puppet stage with Ecstatic Display written on it, the toy dinosaurs, the round canvases with faces drawn on them, and the bubble machines you know you’ve entered a unique place. Cave’s experiences with motherhood were also very compelling, trying to explain the complexities of it, both the love and the frustrations. The show ends with a recorded song by her daughter and the four kids were selling merch outside, which was a very wholesome and endearing touch.
Jessie Cave: An Ecstatic Display is an original, charming and engaging show, with clever writing and well crafted dark comedy. The complexities of its mix of elements make the show special and different to most, it just needs a bit more time with some concepts to have the show reach its full potential. It’s a funny and enjoyable hour, however its ties to stand-up call for a stronger comedic timing and joke writing. All in all the show is incredibly unique and a testament to the talented, fun and powerful voice of Jessie Cave.
