Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Me For You
Rachel E Thorn
Genre: Drama, New Writing, Theatre
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Will big picture climate issues get in the way of family plans ?
Review
The stage is set at Pleasance Courtyard – a black box space, literally no props. But less is more here : two superb performers, a sharp script, with the most current of issues as a backdrop, deliver a funny, questioning performance.
Rachel Thorn (Holly) is no stranger to Edinburgh Fringe, usually performing comedy and improv, but she takes the plunge here into drama, albeit with a comedic throughline.
Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi appropriately sets the scene before Thorn and Elizabeth Hope (Alex) pretty much storm the stage, a whirlwind of rapid fire dialogue.
Holly has a mortgage with boyfriend, Jake, but begins a lesbian affair with Alex, Jake’s best friend. As the relationship develops, Holly moves in with Alex. We can only infer the damage Jake must suffer, losing his partner and best friend simultaneously. Alex says sorry to him, but later is conflicted as to what this actually means, as she in fact has no regrets about the course of events.
Holly is frustrated at Governmental inaction on climate change. She concludes that conventional protest is futile and wishes to embark upon civil disobedience. Her assertion is that she is on the right side of history, that only through civil disobedience did we see significant impact regarding suffragettes, American civil rights and apartheid. She probably has a point.
However, the last Government passed legislation (Public Order Act 2023) with potentially severe sanctions. Alex, seemingly less committed to the cause than Holly, is brought into action groups such as Extinction Rebellion, but remains apprehensive about arrest.
In the midst of all this, Holly and Alex wish to have a baby. After examining all the options, they go with a sperm donor and are met with success as Holly becomes pregnant. This gives Alex further concern : civil disobedience is accompanied innately with the risk of physical harm. Is it right to expose her pregnant partner to this ? There is a wider context now to ‘sorry’.
Thorn and Hope move effortlessly from scene to scene, much credit to director Helen Tennison, adeptly leaning in to aspects of physical theatre at times. Their relationship is immediately believable and they afford the audience to the opportunity to live their aspirations and anxieties.
The script is sharply observed. At its heart is the juxtaposition between the macro and the micro. Holly wishes to participate in direct non-violent action, but the best target is her place of employment and she is afraid of losing her maternity benefit. The piece acknowledges the quandary facing activists, effectively criminalised now. Ultimately, money is at the heart of most choices that Governments and individuals make – to what degree can we afford and not afford selfishness and self-interest ? A fine, prescient, production, highly recommended.
