Sexy Lamp continues at Pleasance Baby Grand, Edinburgh until 26 August 2019.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
It’s a surprise walking into the space to see a glamorously dressed woman with a lampshade where her head ought to be. In the opening ‘silent movie’ style scene we learn the ‘Sexy Lamp’ theory: if a scene with a glamorous woman in it can be played with the woman replaced by a sexy lamp, the scene fails ‘the test’.
Katie Arnstein then introduces herself and tells her story: a story that begins aged senev with the ambition to act. Along the way, she tells us of how her gender shaped her life and her career. Even an early memory of being taught self defence for girls in school is contrasted with the boys’ experience in her class. They watched Batman instead.
And so it seems throughout life: girls are placed in a position to feel vulnerable in such an assiduous way that it’s difficult to notice. Katie tells us about how a frog will adapt in water that becomes gradually warmer until it’s lethal as a parallel of how a condition can be tolerated even as it becomes so bad that it’s blatantly harmful can creep into our everyday existence.
This is not a heavy-handed piece though. Arnstein is charming, open and decidedly likeable. Whether this is genuine or the result of her training is difficult to decipher. It is certainly engaging – the audience adores her.
Using songs to illustrate her story (and some rhythmic ukulele playing) keeps the overall tone light and bright as her story becomes increasingly dark. The dark side of the arts business is literally laid bare with a reminder that art only imitates life.
An hour of thought-provoking charm that keeps ticking over in the mind thereafter. Strongly recommended.
Fiona Orr
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