Anna Leong Brophy: Born Sexy YesterdayFor new perspective on the strange ways we behave, we all know the thought experiment “if a visitor from space arrived on Earth, what would they think?” In Born Sexy Yesterday, Anna Leong Brophy plays a supreme being implanted into a grown woman’s body to experience life for the first time. Presenting like some sci-fi sex robot with the soul of a naive child, Brophy duly marries a man on the front row and settles down to a life of domestic drudgery. Until she discovers she has other settings, other brands of femininity available for her to try out … Thus begins a potent hour, not always hilarious but undeniably persuasive, protesting against the strictly circumscribed roles that women are allowed to play – particularly in the movies, as Brophy sardonically demonstrates. The supreme-being conceit dilutes a bit – but our host’s righteous indignation and strong performing chops make this a compelling hour. BL
At Pleasance Courtyard until 30 AugustTaiwan Season: Under MaskSome of the best dancers I have seen at the fringe are from Mailantia Dance Company, led by choreographer Lai Yun-Chi, who has danced with Hofesh Shechter’s junior company in London. It is worth singling out Huang Hsiao-Wen, who moves with incredible flow and compelling presence. Under Mask is a quartet for dancers dressed in steampunk-style masks and painted faces – the theme of identity, masks and the roles we play don’t come through much more meaningfully than that, but the way they move with swagger and mystery is enough. The piece is inspired by Taiwanese temple rituals and has that feel of something ancient, mythical or spiritual, even when the movement recalls commercial pop. It also draws on martial arts, hip-hop and contemporary dance, and you can see hints of Indian classical dance, maybe even flamenco at one point. A choreographer to watch out for. LW At Assembly @ Dance Base until 30 AugustGreat fun … Lauryn Jenkins in Big Dog. Photograph: Danny KaanBig DogPromising young writer-actor Izzy Radford’s debut play, Seating Plan, was a romcom set at a birthday party. Now she has penned an exuberant satire about a group of true-crime podcasters. Directed by Zoë Templeman-Young, Radford stars alongside Eleanor Cross and Lauryn Jenkins as fellow podcasters, with Tumba Katanda as a journalist and office newbie. There are energetic performances across the board, but it verges on the chaotic at times and is overstuffed with ideas, wavering somewhere between a true-crime parody and a dark comedy in the vein of Severance, for its observations on managerial-level, white-collar tyranny and conformist office behaviour. Great fun to watch, even if it feels underdeveloped in this current state. AA At Gilded Balloon Patter House until 31 AugustRosalie Minnitt: Clementine 2“A single baguette is worth 1,000 francs – and a married one far more!” In her smash-hit maiden show, Rosalie Minnitt’s Regency-era alter ego Clementine tried to find a husband. In its follow-up (and in a bid, jokes Minnitt, to pass the Bechdel test), our heroine makes for the big city, to get caught up in a revolution with a distinctly French flavour. And taking to the streets amid popular revolt could scarcely be more disorientating than Clementine 2, an absolute blizzard of character-comedy that confirms Minnitt as a writer/performer in the vanguard. Does it pack quite the punch of its predecessor? Perhaps the satirical bite of Clementine 1.0 is lacking. Is its plot throwaway bordering on incomprehensible? It is. But this adventure in self-realisation for our bumptious, puppyish heroine (befriending Dickensian pickpockets; orchestrating the regicide of the king; flirting shamelessly with the audience) makes up for that abundantly in chaos, silliness, smarts and Minnitt’s full-pelt approach to comic performance. BL At Pleasance Courtyard until 30 AugustFolky celebration … The Palestinian Circus: Step and a Half. Photograph: UnderbellyThe Palestinian Circus: Step and a Half“Hope is a daily choice,” says a voice at the opening of the Palestinian Circus’s Step and a Half. “As long as the heart continues to beat, we keep on moving.” The Palestinian Circus has been running for 20 years, teaching children across the region and spawning this collective of artists. Not all the acts are at the technical level you become accustomed to at the fringe, but that’s not to say there isn’t some great work on the trapeze, straps and silks, taking nosedives from the ceiling. There’s a street performer feel, with fire poi and one guy who seems a very average juggler and then turns out to be a demon on the diabolo. It’s all enveloped in a folky, celebratory atmosphere, with traditional dabke dancing, too. “Joy itself is an act of resistance,” they say. It’s an easy show to feel warm towards. LW
