ED FRINGE 2023 REVIEW | Sunsets
★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Sarah
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
Eyes meet across a crowded room; will they fall instantly and deeply in love? Of course they will. They’ll also live happily ever after… naturally. It is a generic rom-com movie formula as old as time, and we lap it up with its apparent hopefulness and simplicity.
Denver, played by actress Georgie Grier in her one-woman show ‘Sunsets’ is no different, but her obsession with the rom-com and its many swoon-worthy elements leads her to sacrifice reality in the name of fairytale; lines are blurred, and the audience is taken on a twisty-turny ride.
Speaking of audience, the show’s concept is both unique and enjoyable: we are cast as attendees at a live podcast recording with, you guessed it, Denver as host, and thrown into the mix of her sixth and final episode, “The Grand Gesture.”
Let me fill you in…. The podcast itself is a six-part series following Denver’s real-life efforts in finding her happily ever after and based around “falling head over heels” for her childhood sweetheart.
Grier is brilliant in honing the character and persona of Denver whose sparkly pink microphone, vivacious 'Elle Woods' energy and plethora of rom-com references are masking a deep terror of pain and truth, which we realize towards the show's end.
However, before reaching this realization, there are almost too many things thrown at the audience, and not enough breathing room to fully appreciate the ideas being presented. Unfortunately, this makes for a conclusion that lacks the effect it deserves, as our brains are still trying to play catch-up.
I’d like to note that this does not diminish the overall experience of the show, which is infused with plenty of fun and genuine moments, and again, Grier’s performance is impressive, especially in the final act.
‘Sunsets’ is clearly a passion-filled piece, and in my books, this makes it worthy of all the praise!
At Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose until 27 August.
