Written by Annie Lareau
Review by Marina Funcasta
Above all else, Fuselage emerges as a play about the past – historical events, blurred memories, and present loss are tightly bound to every word uttered by writer and actor, Annie Lareau. And trust me, there’s a lot of them. Yet, there is something about the story which rings true to what it means to feel grief, and indeed connection, in our modern world.
Filled to the brim with captivating characters and settings, the homes inhabited by Fusalge are as varied as they are distinct. Filtered with photographic projections and a melange of Scottish and American accents, Lareau’s memories are brought to life through the help of Brenda Joynder and Peter Dylan O’Connor. Though the sheer ambition of the project does stumble into unevenness at points, this trifecta never fail to bring the performance back on its feet.
A tragic tale which breathes life into a world which was only just becoming aware of the perils of globalisation, Lareau’s voice is precious in the slant nature of her perspective. Intertwining a late 80s nostalgia with news snippets, just when we fall into romanticising the Chorus Line-esque world of Syracuse’s drama school, or the edgy streets of Portobello, Laureau forces us back into a painfully tragic reality. The story is unavoidably despairing, matching the quotidian joys of a circle of Bright Young things with international crises which meet deathly ends. And yet, perhaps due to Lareau’s sheer vitality, it took me an hour after leaving the performance to fully feel a reaction to her story.
Indeed, the Ancient Greek echoes of this tragedy are never beyond reach. The chaos of the outside world is pinned through the set, framing the stage in a cascade of chairs which hang together by a thread. Fragility is, alas, everywhere. It is a shame that these set pieces are never fully made use of, but I would hazard to say that they are, ultimately, unnecessary – the triumvirate of performers succeed in telling the story through their own bodies. Demonstrating a keen physical and vocal trust between themselves, the show is as emotionally potent as it is effervescent. Perhaps running a bit long, this seventy-minute show runs past in a blast of youthful dreams and painful realities.
Youthful Dreams and Painful Realities
Fuselage runs at Pleasance Courtyard
Running time: Sixty minutes without interval
Review by Marina Funcasta (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Marina is halfway through an English literature degree at Edinburgh University, wherein she has been (considerably) involved in the drama scene: enjoying performing with their Shakespeare Company shows, but also modern takes on Arthur Miller. However, Marina’s interests are wide-ranging under the theatre genre – enjoying abstract, more contemporary takes on shows (with a keen interest in Summerhall)
