The Silent Treatment continues at Summerhall, Edinburgh until 28 August 2022.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Sarah-Louise Young is an enormously talented Fringe stalwart – previous member of Fascinating Aida, appearing nightly in her acclaimed An Evening Without Kate Bush, director and mentor to other cabaret acts. She also wrote and appeared in Julie Madly Deeply, a show about Julie Andrews, who of course pretty much lost her singing voice after a throat operation went wrong.
In this autobiographical show, Young “comes out” as someone who has had serious vocal problems over a long period of time (something she has been advised to not reveal for fear of damaging her chances of being employed). Thankfully, she has chosen to ignore the advice (and perhaps her own instincts) or else we wouldn’t have the chance to see this brave, intriguing and beautiful musical theatre piece.
Young’s story of how her voice loss dominated her life and her attempts to recover whether it be via therapies, lifestyle changes or the last resort surgery to remove cysts from her vocal cords, is moving, honest, funny and skilfully performed.
Although a solo show, this is a collaborative affair, with effective contributions from director Sioned Jones, music by Christopher Ash and movement from Lucie Parkhurst.
Sarah-Louise Young is a compelling performer and The Silent Treatment is a real achievement.
Keith Paterson
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.