Women’s voices

Day of contrasts, in the shows we saw, the weather and our levels of activity. Started slowly, thinking about what we else we might go to see in the gaps in our diaries and with me scouring the web to try and find flights for October, eating fresh croissants, fruit bread and our new jams from yesterday. The haar was fairly thick early on but was due to lift so we planned for sunshine and eventually set off down to Pleasance Courtyard (first time this year) to see a one woman play {‘Please feel free to share’) about self presentation and social media. Well acted and constructed although we felt she could have done more on the unresolved relationship with her parents. Wandered from there towards the Traverse, stopping on the Grassmarket for a surprisingly good French lunch. The place was packed and we sat outside with the sun peeping through and people watching the thronged streets. We were going to have an ice cream dessert but the queue was too long at Mary’s so we just went straight to the theatre for another one woman show (‘Bloody Elle’). Excellent….as the sole writer/performer/musician behind the show she was phenomenal and it was funny, poignant, clever and very entertaining. Was it a true story of doomed love with a real answer machine message at the end, or all invented? Not sure, but very good.
Popped down to the St John’s craft market afterwards but as we walked around the thunder started to rumble and the rain started and it was soon pouring! S dashed across for a bus to get home and I went up to the Filmhouse for a cup of tea before my next show….Strauss one act opera Salome. Great sound from the huge Bergen Symphony Orchestra (loved them when I saw them do Peter Grimes here in 2017) and despite the usual nonsense story/lyrics the singing was impressive, especially from Malin Byström as Salome who managed to be strident and increasingly hysterical yet with an incredibly controlled voice.
It had stopped raining when I emerged (just as well as I realise I left my umbrella in the hall) and home chatting to T on the way about P and the wedding they’ve been at this weekend.
S had been to see Room which she described as clever but bonkers when she returned later!