Edinburgh Fringe 2015
Low Down
Following her highly acclaimed one-woman show For the Love of Chocolate, renowned actress, writer and director Amanda Waring returns with a unique and inspirational comedy revue. Through anecdote, music, stand-up, cake and the unexpected, Amanda explores how we may all lead a more fulfilling life.
Review
Amanda Waring is a renowned actress, writer and producer with many performances to her credit including the title role of Gigi in the West End and singing for The Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. Her television appearances include ‘Casualty’, ‘Outside Edge’ and ‘A Month in The Country’. Recently Amanda has become recognized as an inspirational speaker, filmmaker and writer on dignity, compassion and end of life care.
And this was what A Glass Half Full was about. She appears on stage in a gypsy-like costume of purple with a lace petticoat and opens her show by announcing that she is fifty today and ”This show can seriously improve your life.” She adds a disclaimer: “I was going to tell the story of my life, but my son said it would be too depressing.”
Depressing is the one thing Amanda Waring is not. Her show is an uplifting monologue of encouraging slogans peppered with wry humor. The stage is filled with empty boxes representing intangible gifts that she opens as she speaks. “We all compare ourselves to others,” she says. “Do not sacrifice yourself to the altar of your own self-esteem.”
As she talks, she occasionally bursts into song to reinforce her point accompanied by guitarist Andy Robinson who is very much a part of the show. He often plays background music, accompanies Waring as she sings and helps her with staging and special effects. “Everyday, try to find something you like about yourself,” she tells us. And, as she looks in the mirror she says, “I am unique, and fabulous in every way and I have lipstick on my teeth.”
She reads a poem that tells us, “I got nothing I asked for (in life) and everything I hoped for.” And then she tells the audience that if they believe anything, they can achieve it. “We should not love the love of power, but rather the power of love,” she says and reads a poem written by a women with cancer: “If I had my life to live over again.”
To end the show she marries herself as a symbol of loving who she is because she says “The love we want is within us.” The audience sings happy birthday to her and she tells us “Life is a song; life is love.“
Hers is a powerful message delivered in song, with a wry twist of humor to cut the saccharine of the message. Waring is a delightful, energetic performer and always a pleasure to watch. The show is uplifting and although it is riddled with clichés, they are sayings we never can be told enough. They are the essence of what creates the good life.
