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ROSIE’S BRAIN

★★★★

Hope Theatre

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ROSIE’S BRAIN

Hope Theatre

★★★★

“The story of her journey makes for a tender and funny insight into life”

Rosie’s Brain is contained in the head of singer-actor Evelyn Rose – although not without spillage. The ill-disciplined grey matter causes its owner-operator no end of bother – from facial twitches and dark thoughts about crushing babies, to her dealings with men.

Ahh, men. Her Mount Everest.

The musical of Rosie’s Brain was born during Covid. American Evelyn Rose found herself alone, wrestling with her conditions and a recent heartbreak. She threw herself into all manner of distractions, from yoga to dance, but was struck with a plan to mix her experiences of anxiety and OCD with her ear for a melody and her undoubted talent as a singer-songwriter.

She reached for a book How Musicals Work, gathered some like-minded fellow graduates from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and created a show that yearns to give her an easier life, but which profits creatively from the excruciating torments and social awkwardness that afflict her at every turn.

We meet Rosie, her alter-ego, in a floral onesie and chirpy backpack at just such a moment of crisis. (Spoiler alert – every moment is a moment of crisis.) First day of college and some clueless lad glances over.

Within two minutes, her brain has played out her life – they’ve met, dated, she’s made a terrible decision and now she’s trapped in a loveless marriage with a child on her knee. Best take a different route to class and avoid the calamity.

From there, puckish Rosie relays the deluge of anxieties that have accompanied her throughout her life – obsessive bath submersion, her chronic need to confess to a litany of non-crimes and, of course, boys.

With her twitches and that thing she does with her hands, it’s going to be tough out there.

One of her three therapists suggests confronting her anxieties head-on, so she throws herself into the world of saying yes. Which brings her to George, her first true love, who also has OCD. That’s a recipe for mutual understanding or chaos depending on the mood or appetites of the condition she calls the “freakin’ monster upstairs”.

It goes well. Then it doesn’t.

The story of her journey makes for a tender and funny insight into life coming to terms with a self-sabotaging mind. Into the mix, Rose throws some flowery and delicate songs accompanied by guitar and keyboard.

This sweet and uplifting snippet reminds us that quirks come in all shapes and flavours, and we’re all afflicted in different ways which only goes to show, ironically, that we’re not so very different after all.

Great fretwork.



ROSIE’S BRAIN

Hope Theatre

Reviewed on 5th February 2025

by Giles Broadbent

 

 


 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

PORT CITY SIGNATURE | ★★★½ | October 2024
THE LEAST WE COULD DO | ★★★★★ | October 2023
MIND FULL | ★★★ | March 2023
HEN | ★★★ | June 2022
100 PAINTINGS | ★★ | May 2022
FEVER PITCH | ★★★★ | September 2021

ROSIE’S BRAIN

ROSIE’S BRAIN

ROSIE’S BRAIN

 

 

I KNOW YOU OF OLD

★★★★

The Hope Theatre

I KNOW YOU OF OLD at The Hope Theatre

★★★★

 

“It’s Shakespeare but not as we know it!”

 

Golem! returns to the Hope Theatre with a brand new take on Much Ado about Nothing. Using only the original text, David Fairs reimagines the story and depicts an alternative, previously untold dark comedy. I Know You of Old unpeels the intricate relationships between Beatrice, Benedick and Claudio.

Set for its entirety in the Chapel where the poor, mistreated Hero is laid centre stage ensuring that although she is dead, she cannot be forgotten

Conor O’Kane plays a guilt-stricken and remorseful Claudio. Why did he accuse Hero of such treachery when he knows deep down she wouldn’t have been capable of it? He sets out to atone for his sins. David Fairs is perfect for the role of sharp witted playboy Benedick. He commands the tiny set, engaging the audience with the strength of his delivery. Sarah Lambie as the savvy, intelligent Beatrice cleverly switches from scornful and indifferent to coquettish and seductive without missing a beat. All three deliver superb performances with an intensity that could easily transfer to a larger stage.

Director Anna Marsland gives the play a contemporary feel with the use of iPads, iPhones and social media – which with a bigger budget could probably be used to greater effect! The use of music here certainly added to the comedy value of the show – the choice of songs was a stroke of genius!

A prior knowledge of Much Ado probably enhances what you take away from this play but the reworking of the original text means that it can be watched as a stand alone performance too.

 

I Know you of Old

is at The Hope Theatre until 1st July

Reviewed – 15th June 2017

Production Images courtesy of GOLEM! Theatre

 

Reviewed by Angela East

 

 

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