And Breathe… - Blue Frog Theatre
Tai Chi leads to all kinds of epiphanies, but in Blue Frog Theatre’s latest show, they’re not what
the audience expects. In a cosy back room of The Imperial, a group of women stand silently, palms
turned outwards, ready to share their wisdom - or lack thereof.
the audience expects. In a cosy back room of The Imperial, a group of women stand silently, palms
turned outwards, ready to share their wisdom - or lack thereof.
Simply structured but brilliantly acted, ‘And Breathe…’ consists of a series of back-to-back
monologues, each delving into the psyche of a troubled villager. These are, for the most part,
entertaining - the audience delights in the trials and tribulations of one woman as she tries to
seduce the class instructor, nudge each other at the exclamations of the village’s resident gossip,
and relate painfully to the frankness and naivety of a young woman, unlucky in love and determined
to become a lesbian. One storyline in particular, the heart-wrenching blindness of a woman to her
husband's infidelity, seemed much more developed and sincere than the rest, and would have
held its own in a solo show. Not all of the storylines, however, are so engaging - the testimony of
a stressed-out school teacher, although catering well to a Stroud audience, feels one-dimensional,
and a mother struggling to keep up with her children's snide remarks, crop tops, and Whatsapp
addiction seems straight out of a satirical cartoon. Admittedly, though, that might just be me
speaking as a snarky teenager...
monologues, each delving into the psyche of a troubled villager. These are, for the most part,
entertaining - the audience delights in the trials and tribulations of one woman as she tries to
seduce the class instructor, nudge each other at the exclamations of the village’s resident gossip,
and relate painfully to the frankness and naivety of a young woman, unlucky in love and determined
to become a lesbian. One storyline in particular, the heart-wrenching blindness of a woman to her
husband's infidelity, seemed much more developed and sincere than the rest, and would have
held its own in a solo show. Not all of the storylines, however, are so engaging - the testimony of
a stressed-out school teacher, although catering well to a Stroud audience, feels one-dimensional,
and a mother struggling to keep up with her children's snide remarks, crop tops, and Whatsapp
addiction seems straight out of a satirical cartoon. Admittedly, though, that might just be me
speaking as a snarky teenager...
But that’s not to say that even these sections didn’t hold some appeal. Punctuating the
monologues with a few potentially questionable but benign jokes about complicated sexual
orientations ensured that the audience was fully engaged - if only to try to figure out whether,
politically, they should be laughing. All in all, ‘And Breathe…’ offers the audience a good,
old-fashioned chuckle - so head down to the local Tai Chi class and get cracking.
monologues with a few potentially questionable but benign jokes about complicated sexual
orientations ensured that the audience was fully engaged - if only to try to figure out whether,
politically, they should be laughing. All in all, ‘And Breathe…’ offers the audience a good,
old-fashioned chuckle - so head down to the local Tai Chi class and get cracking.
See the show on Saturday 15th Sept, 3.30pm, at The Imperial Hotel
Written by Grace Spencer
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