Brave, Bizarre, Basil
Review of You Can Take Me Home Toni by Lorraine Smith, at Durham Fringe Festival
Described as ‘alternative theatre cabaret’, You Can Take Me Home Toni is definitely all those things and more. With lip-syncing, comedy, dance, wearable art, and projection, Lorraine Smith weaves together personal stories and nostalgic visuals with absurdist physical theatre to create an experience to remember.
We hear her before we see her, the rattle of thousands of paper straws preceding a bizarre yet hilarious introduction set to Toni Basil’s hit song ‘Mickey’. Wide eyed, full of vigorous, angular energy, Lorraine’s opening performance sets the tone for the whole show: wild, slightly uncomfortable, but absolutely fascinating. Using her childhood connection with Basil’s 1981 video album Word of Mouth, she takes us on a whirlwind journey through her teenage and early adult life with all its chaos and discoveries – good, bad, and plain grotesque.
Image by David Griffith.
With a list of content warnings longer than most programme notes, this is not an easy watch, with detailed tales of genital injuries, sexual abuse, and bullying. But the show does not feel dark or heavy, on the contrary Lorraine uses her spicy sense of humour and likeable personality to balance these traumas with laughs and heartfelt, relatable moments. Her movement is expressive throughout, creating palpable sensations like the bliss of a bubbling bath or the churning, wringing tension of shame. The transitions between movement and text are well thought out, although on occasion I felt fewer words were needed as the movement and sound communicated more than enough.
For a one-woman show with frequent and complex costume changes ranging from straws, boxing gloves, and goth garb to oversized vulvas and a gigantic merkin (if, like me, you’re too young to know what this is – google at your own risk) the show is surprisingly well paced, until the end, which is more of a fizzle than a bang.
My main question about this work is: where do you draw the line between challenging your audience and alienating them? As an open-minded audience member, who has seen her fair share of bizarre and off-putting theatre, I found the work to be entertaining and refreshingly bold. I can’t help but think though, of the less accustomed individuals who would find certain elements - especially the audience interaction which at some points becomes physical – a step too far. I’m thinking in particular of two blokes behind me who looked like they would rather be anywhere else when Lorraine, covered in balloon-like breasts, shimmied and gyrated her way past their seats.
But, sometimes the best work is that which challenges us and broadens our perspective, and this is exactly what Fringe theatre is all about. Although certainly not to everyone’s taste, it is undeniably a brave, committed and considered show which brings to light universal issues in a deeply personal way. Lorraine’s performative presence is electric, and if you’re willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone, YCTMHT is sure to provide an unforgettable night.
Concept/Script/Choreography: Lorraine Smith
Performer: Lorraine Smith
Dramaturg/interactive stage manager: Patricia Verity Suarez
Costume designer: Daphne Karstens
Sound artist: Peter Heselton
Visual artist: Emily Bailey
Poetry: Harry Man
Producing company: Moving Art Management
Outside eye: Jennifer Essex
Photographer: Rachel Deakins
R&D performance assistant: Alyssa Lisle
R&D photographer: David Griffiths