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One Hundred Homes ★★★★★
Edinburgh Summerhall
(Venue 26)
Until Sunday 28th August 2016
I felt
blessed to catch One Hundred Homes while only being in Edinburgh for two
days; I loved it so much I was struck with how easily I could have passed it
by, and felt grateful for the chance find. That is a sign of effective and
powerful theatre. It taking place in a makeshift shed in the courtyard of
Summerhall was always going to attract me, as I love intimate performances. But
I was not expecting to find a show that exemplified everything I loved about
theatre.
It is difficult to say whether Yinka Kuitenbrouwer is ‘performing’ when
she tells the stories of the hundred-odd people that she has visited and
interviewed about the concept of home, as she does not assume a character.
Indeed, her show could hardly be called a play. She has collected the words,
experiences and perspectives of people from all over the world, and is still
continuing to do so while at the Fringe. The position she most accurately
assumes is storyteller or reporter; you feel that she is the vessel for the
audience to hear the voices of the people she’s met. Whatever her role she
delivers it with charm and commitment.
Her love of people was evident, and one of the main beauties of the
show. She does not act out or impersonate the people as she reads their words
off cards with a picture of them on her head. Instead she reads their stories
and subtly yet effectively captures their characteristics so you feel like
you’ve also met the very same Iraqi husband and wife from Kent that she had
interviewed. At one point, when she didn’t have a picture for the woman she was
about to voice, Yinka described how they looked so the audience could easily
imagine who they were hearing. She described this woman with such vivid and
poetic detail that the audience could not only see her in colour, they could
see what was beautiful and characterful about her.
The audience
were immersed in Yinka’s mind as every once in a while, a detail that was
mentioned about one person, such as where they lived, prompted a series of
associations and links to show how all these people were connected. Her show
beautifully overwhelms the audience with the network of humanity that we are
all part of. Indeed, in times when xenophobia and division seems to dominate
people’s outlook, seeing someone capture the very human longing to feel safe,
secure and themselves in the place they call home, was touching and important.
The intimacy
of the shed made the audience feel like they were Yinka’s guests, as did the
tea and biscuits! This, and her constant eye contact with the audience made the
show feel like a conversation, in which you got to know her and the people
she’d met. This style was heightened by her first story being prompted by a
letter from the audience, from which she picked a name of a person and began
from there. It was immediate, personal and exciting to know it would be
different every time. The show you were seeing was yours and the rest of the
audiences to share. There is something very special about a celebration of
people’s experiences being mustered every day, but each one having its own
individual rhythms and stories being told.
I left
feeling like I knew humankind a little bit better, and for me, that is what
great theatre should do. It was wonderful to see Yinka do so in with such
creative, fresh and charming methods.
Review by
Jackie Edwards
Tickets:
Tickets
cost £10 (£8 conc) and are available form the usual Fringe outlets, the venue
and online at https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/one-hundred-homes.
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