Lamesha Ruddock
THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. is a wonderfully surprising, texturally theatrical show that really pushed the boundaries of the Former Womens Locker Room at Summerhall. It is playful, capturing the messiness of memory with raw honesty.
In an era of situationships, unspoken love, “if he wanted to he would”, “right person, wrong time”, THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. hits the nail on the head. This is a brilliantly written show from Hannah Caplan, who understands there will always be many versions of events, but this story belongs to Grace because she dared to write it.
At its heart, THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. is a love story of the pull between friends who have known each other since the start of secondary school and just cannot seem to shake each other. What does it mean to want someone in your life forever but be unable to give them what they truly desire? The script circles this tension with gutting precision, allowing the audience to feel the ache and the exhilaration of intimacy.
The traverse set-up placed us in the main alleyway, with a bed manoeuvred by a B&M shopping trolley covered in a neutral bedspread with hand-sewn details marking Grace’s and Eli’s friendship journey. Across the walls were crochet red webs tying up felt patches of scenes and memories, catching us with sentences like “in my time of dying” and “don’t tell anyone this happened.”
The show was brilliantly performed by Francis Nunnery, who captured the bumbling flirty guy, sometimes performatively charming and seemingly paralysed by the idea of committing to a long-lasting relationship. Alongside him was Amaia Naima Aguinaga, bouncy and outrageous while maintaining a protective control that kept her character guarded. Together they created a chemistry that was vulnerable and recognisable.
The recurring whooshes into scenes and different focuses kept the pace, provided moments of respite from emotional overload and released the audience as we were transported across time, relationships and emotional states. Projection was used perfectly to introduce the characters with playful aesthetics, sped-up pretentious films and even command lines out of Eli, written by Grace. The use of puppet heads to physicalise their intimate relations was striking, showing the distance Grace puts between herself and her traumatic memories. While Grace is an unreliable narrator, you cannot help but lament the knocks to her self-worth as she came of age.
The direction by Douglas Clarke-Wood was innovative and full of energy. Dialogue ping-ponged across the room as the audience followed instinctively, shopping items were handed out by audience members, entrances and exits were fully utelised, and the whole room was enveloped into Grace and Eli’s world.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. is layered, moving and heartbreakingly funny. It asks what it means to tell your version of the truth even when it is messy and arguably partial. An unforgettable coming-of-age love story for the situationship generation.
You can catch THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. until Monday 25th at the Former Womens Locker Room at Summerhall from 15:20 (70mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Jasmine Silk
