#HonestAmy continues at Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh until 26 August 2019.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
There are many solo shows this Fringe – often with a ukulele – but this one is so much more than that. More than living up to comparisons with Victoria Wood, Amy Booth-Steel captures her audience within seconds. She is utterly adorable!
This show comes from her ‘vlog’ she set up to help her deal with a cancer diagnosis. Her skill and delivery are such that she has the audience howling with laughter when the diagnosis of ‘dead by Christmas’ becomes the refrain of her song about when she was told she had cancer. “Obviously, I deal with things through humour.”
Simply staged in front of a massive letter A, lighting is used to support the narrative, drawing the eye to elements in her collection of pictures and objects of importance to her.
Kathy Burke’s direction is both subtle and brave, much like Amy herself. There is a sequence where we simply watch Amy eating a sandwich. It takes a massive amount of effort to just let this be in a quiet moment to itself. Totally natural, without guiding audience or provoking thought. Yet it’s still naturally funny.
Dealing with both physical and mental obstacles, Amy is both horrified yet laughing at the challenges of being able to pick groceries off a supermarket shelf; to train her mind to see the difference between the real and the surreal.
She sends up her own musical style and ability, but at the same time, she’s just a little pleased with herself to have overcome physical limitations to be able to play the ukulele at all.
Although acknowledged, the uke does indeed limit the musical scope of the piece. The bright pink radio set within the ‘A’ isn’t used at any point, so all hopes of a more expressive musical sound are dashed. And that’s a real pity – #HonestAmy deserves a more glittering finale!
Fiona Orr
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