Characters that don't take things nearly as far as Julia Croft in Power Ballad:
Count Olaf
Dr. Frankenfurter
Gollum
I am serious when I say I don't think I've ever seen someone with less fear than Julia Croft. Shouting FEMINIST THEATRE with more aggression than I thought was humanly possible is made absolutely hysterical with a voice-altering device that makes her sound as if the narrator from the song You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch has had it with the patriarchy and is out to shut it down.
Just like the title Power Ballad, this show was a mixture of vulnerability and straight up force. As far as confronting oppression and misogyny, there was quite a bit of mic manipulation that seemed to be one very long and rather vague metaphor for sex, consent, gender, identity. The confusing, disjointed bits of monologue, sparse it may have been, hit on the idea that we lack sufficient language to discuss equality in a way that truly affects.
In keeping with immersive and wacky, Summerhall has something strange on their hands with Power Ballad. I'm not sure what just happened, but I know it started off with a topless gyration dance complete with a phallic mic swinging display and ended with an Annie Lennox karaoke sing-a-long complete with wigs for shoulder pads/fur stole (?)
Based on the personality I feel is within the woman I just witnessed, I doubt she gives a flying fajita about what reviews have to say about her. Might be the second weirdest Fringe show I've ever seen. Still haven't gotten over Bryony Kimmings taping audience members' pubic hair to her face in 2010.
Aug 17-27 (not 21)
19:30
12+