Rachel Blackman started her short run at Brighton’s Dome Studio Theatre last night to a full house and genuine applause and we can’t stop thinking about the the quality and content of the show.
Billed as ‘You Aren’t Doing It Wrong (If No One Knows What You’re Doing)’, this is a show about life, living and musical instruments. The show opened with a very nervous performer, using a close up camera and telling us about the her life by flicking through a book of words, not ready to speak herself. There is music playing and she tells us it is her family who are performing, with beautiful clarinet and bassoon music, but as she finally breaks through her fears, out comes the story.
This show is her interpretation of a life lived with the people around her, all of whom have made an impact on who she is now and how she got here. The pressure to perform (particularly on musical instruments) is prominent, and there are expectations placed on by family members and also herself. These are issues many of us face, but when they are laid out bare for everyone to see they hit home even more.
There are moments of pure joy in this performance. Our favourite was the indulgent inclusion of Jacqueline du Pré’s famous performance of the cello concerto which Rachel uses demonstrate her movement from compliance to freedom as she grows and finds her own way forward. There are also moments of raw emotion, times when we felt genuinely moved by her story and the way she shared it.
What is evident from this performance is Rachel’s amazing stage craft. She uses a huge variety of devices to bring the show alive, moving in the space confidently, adapting the simple lighting to highlight different moments and subtle techniques to emphasise emotions. One particular moment was when she was talking about different stages in her childhood where she made small but definite movements to show the change in time – absolutely beautiful to watch. There is also seamless use of multimedia, often difficult to get right on stage, drawing our attention to further details of her life and how it has panned out.
This is a show rich in storytelling, allowing you in, inviting you understand a whole life story. We were expecting a comedy clown who got things wrong, but this show is so much more as we were shown her personal story through intimate details and beautiful photographs. We were completely involved, left wishing the performer well and spent the rest of the evening talking about the parallels in our own lives.
The performance concludes tonight with future dates planned to take the show around the country.
Performance Dates
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre – July 16th and 17th – 7.30 pm
Performance Team
Performer/Writer/Co-Creator – Rachel Blackman
Director – Emma Roberts
Special guest – Emiliana Torrini
Producer – Kate Laird
