Me, Myself and Miss Gibbs |
Published on Monday, 22 August 2011 | |||||
When Francesca Millican-Slater found a postcard from 1910 addressed to a Miss L Gibbs, the message simply reading “Be careful tomorrow. A.C.”, she set out to discover just who Miss Gibbs was… and just why she had to apply such caution. A gentle piece of storytelling, Me, Myself and Miss Gibbs documents Millican-Slater’s quest, recreating her investigation using video excerpts, props, and the many historical records collected on this very personal journey. The set is a visual representation of the search for Miss Gibbs; out of it, various objects are produced as they enter the story, creating a delightful stage picture. A confident and likeable performer, Millican-Slater immediately engaged the audience, and there was a real sense that she was sharing part of herself. At times this stole the focus from Miss Gibbs’ tale a little too much, and the arc of the story could perhaps be tightened up to readdress this. The lecture-style OHP of historical documents flowed into performance sections, recreating the conversations Millican-Slater had along the way, which kept the piece alive. There is space, however, for clearer delineation between such approaches as at times there was a little uncertainty as to the intention of the show. The postcard that started it all is a fascinating object, and it is easy to get drawn into the world of Miss Gibbs. The piece has great potential, and will no doubt evolve as Millican-Slater’s ongoing research turns up new discoveries. |
<< Belt Up's The Boy James | Caruso and the Monkey Hou... >> |
---|
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
These are archived reviews of shows from the Edinburgh Fringe 2011. We keep our archives online as a courtesy to those we've featured, and for readers who'd like to research previous years' reviews.