The Mother
Reviewed by Ryan McGreal
The vibe is Kaufmanesque.
Claudia Pompeya’s one-woman anti-comedy explores the fraught subject of motherhood through a kaleidoscope of disconnected scenes. Between setups without punchlines, preposterous bits that run for too long, uncomfortable audience interactions and long, tense silences, the play refuses to satisfy expectations.
In an early segment involving an inflatable bear, Pompeya demonstrates a keen sense of physical comedy, but don’t get used to it. She is not here simply to make you laugh. Rather, the sequence of vignettes serves as an exercise in shared discomfort, forcing the audience to sit with the discomfort rather than satisfying the desire for a tidy but false resolution.
This play is not for everyone, but if you are committed to the idea of Fringe as a challenge to the safe conventions of live theatre, The Mother is calibrated to pull you out of your comfort zone - sometimes literally - and onto the stage.
Age Suitability: Parental Guidance (ages 13+)
Warnings: Audience Participation, Coarse Language, None
Venue: Theatre Aquarius Studio
Genre: Theatre—Comedy, Storytelling/Solo Show
Performer/Writer/Director
Claudia Pompeya
