YOUR GUIDE TO EDINBURGH'S FESTIVALS
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ED2016 3/5 Reviews ED2016 Theatre Reviews
Dame Nature: The Magnificent Bearded Lady (Havoc Theatre)
By Hannah Greenstreet | Published on Friday 26 August 2016
In this solo show, written and performed by Tim Bell, Dame Nature (a bearded lady) desperately tries to convince the audience that she is “more than just a beard”. She does (failed) magic tricks and a heroic interpretative dance number. Sadly, too much time is taken up with the meta-theatrics and deliberately bad performance, which fail to entertain. There are darker elements to the show too: Dame Nature is afraid of her husband and dissatisfied with her life, and the circus is gradually revealed to be an oppressive regime. Pushing these elements further would have made for a far more interesting show, exploring the male gaze and what it means to be displayed as a “freak”. Unfortunately, Bell only hints at this.
Assembly George Square Theatre, until 29 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Hannah Greenstreet]
