Valery Reva stars in this new own-written one-woman piece, exploring the trials and tribulations of a cancer patient through the eyes of innocence and fantasy. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its entangled narrative ends up bringing a bad hair day.
The other day, I felt the impulse to die. Somebody screwed things up big time and forgot to invite me to a press night I was dying to attend. All comps had been given. Nothing could be done. I had two options: either break into the theatre the Maleficent way and curse the day everyone there was born (too much work…) or just scream my lungs out in utter frustration. I eventually decided to console myself and opened Grindr. But then I thought: “surely there’s worse things in the world that can happen, like being poor, or poorly dressed – or worst of all, ugly!”. And with such profundity suddenly taking the wheels of my mind, I just chose to go back to where I started and kept being a drama queen.
Alright, then – let’s talk about today’s show. Don’t worry – what I’ve said before is totally related to the piece. Well, maybe not all the sordid details that concoct the bleak passages my brain is made of, but surely the cautionary tale of its message: we put too much importance on things that, quite frankly, don’t even have a speck of it. In other words, if people tell you that you’re not much of a joy to be around – they’re probably right! Oh, quit the crying – you see what I mean?
Valery Reva’s latest piece makes a solid statement about this fact. Life is tough, but just like my presence in a theatre, no matter how much it bothers you, it’s going to happen anyway. At Least I’m Not Bald, a one-woman play dealing with the struggles (both physical and psychological) of a cancer patient going through its rather aggressive treatment brings out the fun without renouncing the seriousness of its reality. And, as a concept, it works beautifully – not only capable of putting a face and giving a soul to a situation which, for all those people that luckily are not hit by it, just means numbers on a page, but also drafting a compelling narrative that functions dramatically.
Combining stand-up comedy bits with more experimental parts alternating sung-through and recited excerpts with fantastical allegories, the show delivers an appealing recount that manages to keep up the interest all through its evolution. However, despite the understandably eclectic approach in its execution, there is a slight lack of cohesiveness preventing its elements from fully coming together – sometimes, giving the impression of being closer to a display of different attempts at the same subject rather than a properly assembled construction.
The main issue may fairly be attributed to the absence of a guiding thread holding all its components in place. There’s not a genre per se where the piece could be framed into. There’s no doubt that, if something defines art, is precisely its ability to break any former definition and preconception. But for those touches to be effective, there needs to be some intact foundation that, despite the many paths the work may go down, still keeps it on the right track. Though its coalescence of styles no doubt contributes to the highly diverse vibe of the montage, it’s the way in which all of them are presented that prevents the work from releasing ts full potential.
This, nonetheless, does not pose as too big an obstacle for the performance to be enjoyed. All in all, Valery Reva flaunts tremendous determination and poignancy in her rendition, delivering her characters with poise and conviction, and many times proving her ability to enchant the viewer with the sincerity of her portrayal. Also boasting delightful vocal skills, the somehow underexplored musical side of the play is, most possibly, the answer to the show’s still undiscovered resolution: the use of songs all throughout could actually be the missing link that would allow the rest of its constituents to come into position, creating a fantasy where all kinds of reveries are welcome and glued through the whimsical realism of music.
Introducing us to a socially conscious and, above all, deeply human theme through some slightly different-coloured glasses, At Least I’m Not Bald concocts a humourous, entertaining and, in the end, moving angle on an inevitably tragic affair, but struggles to bring up to the surface the depth weaved upon its themes and intentions. It has all the tools to be transformed into an exceptional comment on life and our perspective of it. But for that to happen, they must be used to bring its vision from its eyes into ours.
At Least I’m Not Bald will play at the Edinburgh Fringe’s C Alto from 31 July to 11 August. Tickets are available on the following link.