This is a gentle exploration of the challenging relationship that writer/performer Karin Trachtenberg had with her mother. The piece looks at how that impacted her view of herself and the world until she discovered her mother’s diaries after her death. There is a Disney-fied use of a mirror on the wall, and a mask that represents the other side of her mother.
Trachtenberg’s mother was a beautiful woman and an aspiring actress. How she viewer herself was based on what she looked like and how she presented to the world. However, due to the time period, when she became pregnant, her dreams were put aside and what had been hoped for did not resume. It is unclear whether Trachtenberg herself became an actor because of her mother or despite her mother.
The pace of the show can be slow at times and the end in particular, while it is an interesting concept, does not quite flow. Nonetheless, there is a clear progression through the text and with Trachtenberg as a warm and likeable performer, the audience is cared for in her capable hands.
Show Time: 18-26 Aug (not 20)
Gilded Balloon Patter House
Ticket Prices: £12 (£11) 18, 23-25 Aug; £11 (£10) 19, 21-22, 26 Aug
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/my-mother-had-two-faces-reflections-on-beauty-aging-and-acceptance
Accessible entry: Information not supplied. Wheelchair access type: Not fully wheelchair accessible. Stairs: Information not supplied. Age: 14+ (Guideline); Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket. Policy applies to: Children under 2 years