Batshit
★★★☆☆ Theatrical
Traverse (Venue 15): Thu 1 – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Hugh Simpson
Batshit by Leah Shelton and Quiet Riot, at the Traverse all Fringe, is a forceful, politically necessary and knowing piece of theatre.
The show comes to the Traverse from Australia and details the story of Shelton’s grandmother Gwen, incarcerated in a mental hospital and subjected to ECT for apparently daring to hint that her marriage may have outlived its appeal for her.
Leah Shelton in Batshit. Pic: Cecilia Martin Photography
This is a defiant, angry and funny show that takes welcome aim at the way women (both in and out of the public eye) are stigmatised, demonised and pathologised in ways that similarly-acting men would never be.
There is a dizzying combination of physical theatre, voiceovers, lip-syncing, (deliberately bad) stand-up, sound, light and audience interaction on display. Shelton’s performance – extremely vital, but always exact and measured, under the direction of Ursula Martinez – is a commanding one. Shelton is also credited with creating and co-designing the piece, and it is clear that a formidable theatrical intelligence is at work.
Perhaps the disparate elements of the production do not always knit together as they might. This is a resolutely theatrical production, always drawing attention to its own artifice, but some of the sections outstay their welcome, while others (notably the ones more closely related to Gwen herself) cry out for elaboration.
piecemeal nature
To be fair, the performance was hampered on this occasion by technical problems that meant that some of the visual side was lost, but even with everything in place it seems likely that the somewhat piecemeal nature of the narrative would remain.
The sound of Kenneth Lyons and Jason Glenwright’s lighting are suitably assertive, while Freddy Komp’s input into production management, set and video helps greatly with the visual impact. Grace Uther’s video content also has a real magnetism, although it certainly does not make for easy viewing.
The disembodied voices of Christine Shelton, Naomi Price and Hugh Parker, meanwhile, add a chilling element.
The resolutely stagey approach and piecemeal nature of the narrative ultimately prove strengths rather than weaknesses; the anger always shines through, and there is no doubt that the concerns on display are as sadly contemporary as ever.
Running time: 50 minutes (no interval)
Traverse Theatre (Traverse 2), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED (Venue 15)
Thursday 1 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Various times (see website for details)
Details and tickets: Book here.
Traverse website: Further details.
Artist website: www.leahshelton.live
Instagram: @leahsheltonlive
Facebook: @missleahshelton
X: @leahkshelton
Leah Shelton in Batshit. Pic: Cecilia Martin Photography
ENDS
