Lois-Amber Toole (writer and performer of SLAY) is a force on stage and instantly hooked us into Kit’s world of complex PTSD and let us in to the lens of London through the eyes of a young Geordie with gallows humour at its finest.
The play starts with Kit as a 14-year-old happily walking home from school only to find graffiti spray painted on a bridge, dragging her name, reputation and self-worth into the ground. From there we are transported into her adult life in several locations years later: the doctor’s office, her high-end but minimum wage job as a waitress, a house party, busy London underground and, notably, the “Angel” clinic.
Toole seamlessly shifts location and character with an impressive range of accents, tone and physical embodiment that you stay immersed in her world minute by minute. The story completely resonated with me from when I was a 20 something “outsider” navigating London as a creative, never expecting my “past-life” of countryside living and small town attitudes to ever infect my new life in the big smoke. Not to mention the expectation of parents to get on any metaphorical ladder possible because “that’s what success is” but, as Toole put it so eloquently; “It’s all well and good when you can get a house for 2 marbles and a high five”…to paraphrase terribly!
At around three quarters of the play you understand what makes Kit, “Kit” and it completely broke my heart. The overwhelming urge to scoop her up when the penny drops for the audience felt primal. But then, beautifully, Kit turns the situation on a dime and handles her trauma in the most empowering, comedic and kick-ass way we all wanted for her. The sort of feeling you get when you hear Shania Twain say “Let’s go girls”.
Anna Morris’ direction is fluid, fun, practical and engaging. It’s evident that Anna and Lois-Amber’s creative visions for the piece were entirely aligned. Female-led creative forces at its very best with Gobby Girl productions at the helm. This has to be up there for pick of the Fringe.
You can catch SLAY every day until Monday 31st August @ 3PM at The Den at Gilded Balloon Teviot. Tickets here.
