Theatre / new writing
Preview: Fleabag, Brewery Theatre
DryWrite and London’s new-writing powerhouse Soho Theatre present Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Olivier-nominated one-hander, following one woman’s frenzied, 48-hour quest of rediscovery.
Welcome to the world of Fleabag, where the rules are out the window and she’s getting confused. She’s angry, pervy, cruel, forgetful, unforgiving, flippant, capricious, but undeniably honest. And you can’t help but love an honest person. Or can you? For one hour only, Fleabag lets us see the world through her eyes as we follow her quest of rediscovery over a fraught and frenzied 48 hours. It may not be pretty but it’s funny as hell.
Waller-Bridge’s 60-minute monologue introduces us to the porn-obsessed, hard-drinking, sexually voracious owner of a guinea-pig-themed café. As the curtain rises, ‘Fleabag’ is half-heartedly mourning the accidental suicide of her best friend, has just been dumped for having ‘a horrible wank’ while her boyfriend tried to sleep, and is on the verge of losing the café.
Said Time Out’s review of the play’s 2013 Edinburgh Fringe run: “Talking at a rate of knots with well-spoken, casually withering assurance, Waller-Bridge has created a monster, of sorts. Her eponymous heroine is a creature of pure id who literally doesn’t give a shit about anyone else, leaving a trail of blithe devastation in her path as she fucks or fucks over everyone she encounters.”
The much-garlanded play has already picked up a sackful of awards including a prestigious Fringe First Award from Edinburgh, as well as a joint Critics’ Circle Most Promising Playwright 2013 for its playwright.
Fleabag Tuesday, January 20 to Saturday, February 7, Brewery Theatre, Bristol. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/detail/fleabag
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