Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Delusions and Grandeur
Karen Hall / Rhymes with Purple
Genre: Live Music, Performance Art, Theatre
Venue: Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Karen Hall explores the life and challenges of a successful career as a cellist in an emotional and funny hour. She is part clown, part physical comic, and all musician. A bonus is hearing her stunning performance of the Bach Cello Suite No. 1.
Review
Delusion: a false belief or judgement about external reality despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. Grandeur: the quality or state of being grand. (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Is life in music a delusion, an aspiration of recognition and success based on your thousands of hours of preparation? Or it is simply grand to be able to ply your craft and use your talent to pursue a career in the arts?
Karen Hall explores all of that in an emotional and funny hour. She is part clown, part physical comic, and all musician.
The show opens with Hall munching a Subway sandwich, which, she notes, lacks sufficient tomatoes. That sets her up for the clown-like actions in the show and breaks the formality barrier with an audience that may not be comprised of classical music fans.
Like many American kids, Hall started studying cello quite young. She notes that she chose the cello because the most popular girl was a cellist who subsequently gave up the instrument. Although Hall was home-schooled, she joined other kids for music practice. Thus began what is known as the 10,000 hours needed to perfect your craft, except that she had reached that number by the time she graduated high school and was on her way to the recording studio.
Her career was on an upward trajectory. She played cello in symphony orchestras, at the prestigious Carnegie Hall, with Asian and Canadian superstars, on TV shows like Glee, and even for the music producer of the Beatles. But behind the glitz and glamour, there were challenges. There was the pressure of expectations from her parents. And there were, and still are, the many financial challenges that musicians face. She comically demonstrates some of those by unpacking her gig bag to show the sheet music, two kinds of rosin, two metronomes (in case a student left one at a studio), and even an arm exercise stretch band. Add to that the cost of the cello and the case, and the investment can be daunting.
Then there are the injuries. Eight out of 10 musicians will have injuries, five in 10 will have repetitive strain, and just two in 10 will make a full recovery. Seventy-five percent of musicians will experience panic or anxiety.
She describes the music career as a tough life but “the show must go on”. So she needed to be playing in many situations. She is stunningly beautiful, which often gave her an advantage in hiring for rock performances. But is that how she wants to be judged? She questions whether live music is relevant in our changing world. Do people still relate to composers who died 300 years ago? Do we relax the dress codes for symphony concerts to bring in the blue jean crowd?
Hall does not have all of the answers but she has a great story to tell, and she does that with spoken humour, physical comedy, and multiple costume changes, from evening gown to workout wear and more. Each of the sections of her story is punctuated by a movement of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1. Her playing is delicious and enchanting. The interpretations are note-perfect with the exact nuances that make Bach come alive for the audience. The cello is clearly her best friend, and she is one with the instrument.
This show is a must see for anyone who has ever heard a live classical music concert, listened to a Baroque recording, played an instrument, or simply pursued their life’s passion as a profession. As for the rest of you, come to have your eyes opened – and be thoroughly entertained by this phenomenally talented and charming musician. She says that studies show that people forget up to 80% of what they hear within 24 hours. You will not forget Karen Hall – her brilliant playing and her passionate and engaging story.
Hall’s Edinburgh Fringe debut follows a successful run at the Adelaide Fringe Festival where she picked up a Judges Weekly Award for Best of Music and five stars from On the Record. Hall’s accolades also include 2024 Best Solo Performance in Los Angeles Theatre from Stage Raw, a sold-out run at Vancouver Fringe, and the Tour Ready Award at San Diego Fringe.
