To say that I felt a little out of place ten minutes into Birthing The Crone would be a huge understatement. The room was verging on empty.
To my left there were two ladies who must have been in their eighties. To my right there was a lady, who I think might have slept the whole way through the show, that must have been around a similar age.
And then there was the performer, Lisa Wilson, who is creeping towards 60.
I have to admit, I was waiting for the tea and biscuits to be brought out. An extremely stereotypical, even just plain wrong, view of those people one might consider to be older, so I apologise immediately. But I did think it.
And then, she starts cracking into menopause madness! I scanned for the exits. This was not my world.
But I stayed. And, for the most part, I'm glad I did.
Lisa Wilson's one woman show goes on to explore the changing roles that come with age, losing the ones you love and facing mortality. She does this with humour, intelligence and intense emotion.
The emotions run so high at times, especially as we approached the end, that the whole experience came across as an exorcism of sorts. A chance for her to exorcise her demons, which was extremely powerful to witness.
The torment was raw in her eyes and brought a mighty lump to my throat. It takes a storyteller of profound brilliance to have that effect on me and she is one of only a few to have succeeded.
There were times, however, when it just came across as whining to me. I also couldn't help but feel a soft air of "we women are so complex, beautiful, good and right." Not that it isn't true. I just resent the suggestion that this is unique to themselves. Men feel grief and experience all, well most of, the emotions that women do. And with that I'm sure men feel things that women do not, though most women I know would scoff at the idea. And that is my point, I think.
Everyone that is spoken about in a kind light is female. The men don't listen (husband) unlike the female friend, die and leave massive debt because they lie (father) unlike the perfect mother figure, the son is too weak to pick up the phone because he's scared of what the doctor on the other end will tell him.
Every woman is to be admired (well, apart from her sister. But that is swiftly justified by bipolar).
Perhaps I just don't get it because I'm a man?
Overall though, Birthing the Crone is a good show. Intimate, heartfelt, witty and worth the price of the ticket.
Times: 7-21 August (except 9 & 16)