Conceived and Performed by Gabriela Flarys
Directed by Andrea Maciel
Review by Florence Carr-Jones
Summerhall Techcube 0: Tickets
Deluge begins with a primal scream—AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—immediately drawing the audience into its unsettling world. Gabriela Flarys, perched atop a step ladder, stares down at the crowd with an intensity that is as captivating as it is unnerving. Dressed in an all-white outfit seemingly drenched in blood—later revealed to be jam—Flarys sets the stage for an hour of absurdity, raw emotion, and chaotic energy.
This one-woman play, crafted by Brazilian theatre-makers Gabriela Flarys and Andrea Maciel, immerses the audience in the emotional turmoil of the grief of a breakup. The experience is raw, disorienting, and often overwhelming, teetering on the edge of incoherence. Yet, this lack of structure feels deliberate, mirroring the confusion and fragmentation usually accompanying deep emotional pain.
Flarys’s performance is nothing short of extraordinary. Her energy, physicality, and musicality are on full display, creating moments of sheer brilliance. However, the show’s fragmented nature sometimes disrupts these moments as she swiftly transitions from one thought to the next. It feels as though Flarys and Maciel have pieced together a series of intense, visceral experiences, only to cut them off abruptly, leaving the audience in a perpetual state of unease. This disjointed approach is both a strength and a weakness, making Deluge more of a visceral, sensory experience than a traditional narrative.
The show is experimental and, at times, beautifully haunting. It blurs the lines between fantasy and grief, offering a uniquely fringey experience that is as compelling as it is challenging. While there are moments of humour, the overall tone is intense, making Deluge a show that stays with you long after it ends.
Blurs the Line of Fantasy and Grief
Review by Florence Carr-Jones (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Florence recently graduated with a degree in History from the University of Edinburgh, where her passion for theatre often took precedence over her academic studies. During her time at university, she was actively involved in many theatre societies, but her deep passion was with Theatre Paradok, the experimental theatre society, where she served as president this past year. She is the director and writer of her own company, Fools and Thieves, and will begin a Master’s in Drama Directing at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School this September. Florence is particularly fascinated by interdisciplinary approaches to theatre and how the medium can evolve in the contemporary world.
