MultiStory - Main Stage. 4:30pm
Dirty Protest Theatre
Know before you go: t.w. substance abuse. Also, take sunglasses and an umbrella.
Mix 90s rave culture with tribal Welsh rituals, throw in a powerful mother-daughter bond and some beautiful harmonies, and you might be left with something a little bit like Double Drop.
"Engaging for every action-packed moment that this killer duo had to offer."
This performance was a million things at once, there wasn’t a single slow moment and, despite the 10-meter gap between the audience seats and the stage, I was engaged for every action-packed moment that this killer duo had to offer. Esme, the main character, was a Welsh girl in her late teens, reaping all the ecstatic elation that pills and raves could offer her, but she couldn’t ignore the Welsh heritage with which her mother so longed for her to engage. Struggling to find common ground with her mother, she seeks freedom and happiness in emblematic 90s dance culture. These are two cultures you would never expect to see mixed so chaotically together, but something about it just worked.
(Double Drop - Dirty Protest Theatre)
Fantastic multi-roling from her counterpart reeled us through a host of characters and caricatures that provided heaps of laughter as well as crucial plot development, and the two actors flexed their impeccable singing voices throughout the performance, live mixing some funky druid melodies on stage.
"These are two cultures you would never expect to see mixed so chaotically together, but something about it just worked."
The venue was unassumingly epic: nestled on the roof of a car park with an unmatched view of Edinburgh castle directly behind, it was as Fringe as it gets. This show had an amazing intention and was certainly a rollercoaster. I only wish that it had been staged in a non-Covid ridden environment as I have a sneaky feeling that, with a crowd triple the size stood directly in front of the stage rather than seated far from it, we would have felt a lot more immersed in the crazy and enthralling world of Esme and her pals. I can envision the audience raving along with her, or even taking part in druid rituals, which would have made the performance extra memorable. Still, though, it was incredibly, randomly entertaining and would be a joy to see again.