A Dark Line Upstairs
Performer: Matilde Vigna
Venue: ZOO Playground 3
Time: 2:40pm
Running time: 1 hour
Reviewed by: Jo Sansom
Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
‘What can a grown woman hold onto?’
When our worlds are uprooted, what do we take with us and how do we start over again?
Matilde Vigna delivers this haunting solo show, where we are taken between modern-day Edinburgh and Italy in 1951. This is a poetic script, performed with masterful pace and a stunning depth of emotion.
Two worlds intertwine as Matilde asks us to consider what constitutes a life and what we take with us if we have to leave it behind.
At first, we meet a woman; she is packing up (again) and decides that she must take everything with her.
As she packs up her ‘Goodbye Forever’ suitcase and begins her first step towards her new life, she struggles to get past her procrastination; rooted to the spot, body and mind trying to protect her from the unknown future. She travels around her home, talking to the herbs, the furniture, the books; we can feel her anxiety as she faces a journey ahead with no known destination.
But as Matilde reminds us, ‘starting is half the battle, then the only thing left is battle’.
Later, as Matilde stands in her childhood bedroom, surrounded by boxes – a physical archive of the lives she has lived and left – hoping the accumulated objects will protect her from sadness, heartbreak and loss, we can see how women are so often expected to absorb their emotions even when their entire worlds have washed away, all the while thinking that we should be in absolute control of our lives.
We are then transported to Italy, 1951. The banks of the River Po have burst and the water is coming towards the villages and towns. With no time to pack, and nothing that would survive the water even if there was, the residents must come to terms with the fact that every physical reminder of their lives will be swept away.
Each time the audience is transported to Italy, the water is increasing and the panic is rising. The actor uses her voice and both music and sound to fantastic effect to capture the fear that inhabits every home and body as the sweeping flood surrounds the houses. I found her delivery so compelling; she moved from sharp, witty monologues to echoing poetic sections with such skill.
Matilde examines the difference between those who choose a transient life and those who are displaced and have impermanence thrust upon them.
With the terrifyingly high temperatures across Europe this summer, this particular show feels like a modern-day ghost story. With most of the UK in drought and heavy rainfall expected in the months ahead, there will be more areas at risk of flooding and destruction than ever before.
The show reminds us that we are all just one step away from a potential life-changing event.
The piece really made me think about the experience of displaced people. Moving through spaces that they will never call home, the only treasures they carry are their memories.
Both the set and lighting were super simple, switching between cool and warm lights to mark whether we were in 1950s Italy or present-day Edinburgh. The only prop was a small potted tree.
And, honestly, the show didn’t need anything more. The focus was on the beautifully crafted words and the impassioned delivery of them. The pace of the show was excellently judged, and the transitions between the two worlds were creative and clever.
As a woman who recently packed up her own big suitcase and decided to start over again, I left this show with the understanding that we all need a lot less than we think and that maybe rebuilding is about only holding onto the things that make sense.
★★★★★
