Presented by Anderson Dawson Producers
Reviewed 19 Feb 2017
This reviewer admits to having some slight trepidation about seeing this production; mainly because of the title. I thought that I was going to be witnessing some very heavy angst-driven fest of depression – not so! This piece is a wonderful piece of theatre. It is funny, moving, uplifting and a visual treat.
SiSi (Claire Dawson) is a stand-up comic and singer/songwriter who, being unlucky in love, moves from Liverpool to Australia where, you guessed it, she’s yet again unlucky in love. How unlucky? The show starts with her shooting her latest lover – that’s pretty dammed unlucky!
After this very film noir styled opening, we are taken back to the events leading up to that moment in the form of an extremely entertaining cabaret act. SiSi’s story is one of punchy, funny one-liners, gloriously campy send-ups of various music trends, and some very moving heart-felt original songs composed by Dawson herself. SiSi is aided and abetted, via video, by her very own back-up singers of her mind – all bearing more than a slight resemblance to SiSi.
Both the script and direction by Rod Anderson are great. But, it is Dawson who is true selling point of this show. She is superb. Not just in her truly wonderful performance as SiSi, but in ALL the video characters she portrays: each and every girl back-up singer, her teacher, her father, even her mother and her bowling cronies in a delightful YouTube style Rap number (Oh no! Oh Yes!). Dawson is the ULTIMATE one-person show!
As this sjhow is very heavy on the technical side (which all works brilliantly), the GC need to be complimented on their sound system. The surround sound effects work a treat.
Don’t teeter on the edge about seeing A Woman On The Edge – just go!
Review by Brian Godfrey
Twitter: @briangods
Rating out of 5: 5
Venue: Studio at The GC at The German Club
Season: Until 5 March
Duration: 70 min
Tickets: $15.50 – $18.50
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/a-woman-on-the-edge
More News
