We sent our reviewer James to watch Deluge
The Big Belly at Cowgate is the perfect setting for Deluge. As you enter, its dark, cavern atmosphere is augmented by a constant drip drip drip, a prelude of the flood to come.
The show begins boldly with what will become a defining aspect of the piece overall and by far its best component – brilliant physicality. Gabi Flares is a versatile and talented performer channelling influences of dance, physical theatre, and clown to great effect as she tries to come to terms with what she’s left with in the aftermath of the breakup of a relationship she thought would last forever.
Interspersed with this endeavour are extracts of other tales of loss and grief from people she talked to in an effort to understand what she was going through. These are told with deft precision and, slight as they are, hold a weight which anchors the show.
There is a delightful whimsy in the way the piece unfolds, always with that edge of melancholy which avoids it becoming saccharin. The through line of sweet, sticky jam juxtaposed with water, which is both cleansing and threatening, is particularly pleasing. Although the piece deals with struggle, the performer always makes the audience feel safe and there is a humour undergirding the entire play which helps maintain its lightness.
Like a pot of jam, there is a lot squeezed in – jam, ladders, brief musical interludes, anecdotes, a little light and friendly audience interaction, water, and more jam. If I were to want something more from it, it would be to perhaps focus a little more on a couple of these aspects and really explore them as we sometimes feel we’ve only scraped the surface of what they mean for the performer and the audience. Also, brilliant as they all are individually, they sometimes clash tonally and overwhelm. Where this feels intentional, this very much works for the piece, but where not, they run the danger of diluting each other. However, this in no way detracts from the fact that, on the whole, I very much enjoyed the piece.
Quick credit must also go to the whole team at the particular performance reviewed for managing so brilliantly under pressure. Technical issues meant that the show started 20 minutes late. This is never ideal for anyone (especially with the tight turn arounds of the Fringe) but everyone held it together beautifully. The staff were friendly and professional, keeping everyone informed, and whatever nerves this might have caused in the production team and performer were not in evidence anywhere – they still gave us a great show and won over an audience that had understandably begun to get a little restless.
for managing so brilliantly under pressure. Technical issues meant that the show started 20 minutes late. This is never ideal for anyone (especially with the tight turn arounds of the Fringe) but everyone held it together beautifully. The staff were friendly and professional, keeping everyone informed, and whatever nerves this might have caused in the production team and performer were not in evidence anywhere – they still gave us a great show and won over an audience that had understandably begun to get a little restless.
Deluge might not always go perfectly swimmingly, but it is certainly worth immersing yourself in for an hour with a talented performer and some really unique stage craft to float away on its gently absurd, but ultimately heartfelt current.
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