ED FRINGE 2023 REVIEW | The Strongest Girl in the World
★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Kathryn
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
Truly Siskind-Weiss thinks of her life in two parts. The part with her father, and the part without.
Through her 45 minute monologue, Siskind-Weiss uses various points in her life to explore how it was changed by the loss of her father to kidney cancer when she was just ten years old. She tells us stories of her father through the voices of her family and friends, and shows us moments of her life in a series of vignettes, taking us with her to summer camp where a happy and carefree Truly sings around a roaring campfire, and to the therapist's office where Truly struggles to cope with being treated like a child when she feels like her childhood has been taken away.
I loved the use of props and puppetry to tell the story and voice different characters in Truly’s life. The script is both moving and subtly funny, with audiences really getting a sense for who Siskind-Weiss both is and was. I’m sure many people of a certain age (this reviewer included) will see a bit of themselves in a young Truly, who loves Hannah Montana and read Twilight 55 times in one year.
Performed in an intimate studio at Greenside Studios, Siskind-Weiss is able to individually connect with each audience member throughout her show. Sometimes I felt like I was the only one in the room, being spoken to directly about grief and loss - something we all experience in our own lives. Siskind-Weiss returns regularly to the theme of her life being in two parts, defined by the one moment where everything changed. I think this is something many of us will relate to. Although I liked the intimacy of the small space. I did sometimes struggle to see moments in the show that took place on the floor of the studio. I think the show would do well in future in a similarly small venue but maybe with a slightly raised stage so those are not lost.
For me, Siskind-Weiss’ performance is the highlight of the piece. She transforms herself into various past versions of herself with such ease and I really enjoyed the moments where she sings campfire songs to herself as she moves various props around the stage. At camp, she was happy.
Family connections shape us and it’s important to be reminded of the love we have for one another. Truly Siskind-Weiss reflects on her childhood memories to share with us a beautifully performed and endearing story about family, loss and love. The show has great potential and I’d love to see it fleshed out a bit further, perhaps to include some more stories about her father from other family members and to show a bit more of the current, 26 year old Siskind-Weiss.
If you’re looking for an intimate, thought-provoking performance and to support a great, up and coming actress and playwright then I would recommend The Strongest Girl in the World at this year’s Fringe. Bonus if you’re a Hannah Montana fan.
Greenside @ Nicolson Square until 19 August.
