Helen L. Edwards

If you’re at Edinburgh Festival Fringe over the next week then book to see this play.

It’s awesome. Harrowing yet awesome. See my review here👇

First review!! July 27th 2023. Helen L Edwards

Wow!
The unspoken
Has finally been spoken

Thomford Theatre’s production, written by Dee Taylor-Thompson and directed by Nicki Rochford, is a traumatic and mesmerising view into the warped workings of a narcissistic mind. The potential causes of the personality disorder and the impact on others are exposed and clear examples of the types of behaviours that constitute ‘narcissism’ and ‘gaslighting’ are given. You will be left in no doubt. Any confusion over the impact of narcissism in your own life will clear and you will leave the theatre a little wiser with your eyes opened a bit wider.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted laugh-along show then you’ve chosen the wrong stage. But please don’t get up too quickly. By staying in your seat you will sign yourself up to a brilliantly acted, immersive, dark and twisted play showcasing the psychological traits of someone with narcissistic tendencies. You might find the viewing tough but I promise it’s worth it for the insight that the 50 minutes will give. If needed it will help you and your close ones to navigate the abuse that often flows from the mind of a narcissist.

The cast is small and each member earns their space on the stage. The narrator, the only male, gives a calm and educated explanation of what narcissism is and cuts through the anger and perplexity. The protagonist, Emma (the narcissist) is split in two, with separate actors playing both her mind and her body. Dee’s performance as the mind is superb and chilling with her eyes searing right through to the core. We watch as she coaches herself (actor Nicki Rochford) through fits of rage and illogical reasoning into carrying out abhorrent and subtlety corrosive behaviours. Nicki portrays Emma’s complete lack of empathy beautifully. We learn that the character had a very unhappy childhood and was largely ignored, leading her to develop a defensive and unhealthy inner world.

The script is powerful and evocative. Here are a few lines that stand out:

“I’m not going to love you, you will love me and I will feed off it”.

“I don’t care what you have been through, I just need to be aware of your weaknesses”.

And…

“You can’t heal because you can’t get closure, and there is nowhere to get it”.

It’s those final words that leave me nauseous. That’s the line that had me stroking the arm of the visibly shaken lady sat to my left. It’s that knowledge that will hopefully have the galvanising effect that the play was surely designed for. To end the relationship with a narcissist is crucial. To accept and break the trauma bonds, vital. And to signpost other people to do the same is necessary. Distance from a narcissist is the only way to get any form of closure, away from the toxicity of the relationship.

Wow!

I especially liked the scenes that reminded me of the four heads in Queens’ music video for Bohemian Rhapsody. The cast crowded around Emma’s victim, Bonnie (played by Paula-Jane de Boer), and repeated mantra’s such as ‘walk away’. These moments showed that despite how obvious narcissistic abuse is to others it is difficult to spot and to believe as the target. The narrator gave more facts during these scenes. We are told of the potential physiological and brain-altering damage that long-term exposure can cause. But we are also shown how impossible ‘walking away’ can feel. The Mind of a Narcissist doesn’t gloss over the complexity from both the perpetrator and the victim’s perspective.

Huge credit goes to Paula-Jane who depicts the confusion and the rollercoaster of emotions felt by a victim and to Katherine Howell, who gave a lovely performance of a naive young adult, realising with horror that she had had been a puppet in her aunt’s narcissistic web of deceit all along.

The Unspoken
Has been spoken

I do hope the Edinburgh Fringe Festival critics book a seat at your play for this is one of those performances that needs to travel far, to be put in front of as many people as possible. This is a play that could alter lives.

Helen L. Edwards
© 2023 Helen L Edwards

theSpaceUK Edinburgh Festival Fringe

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I reflect and soak up the message every time I wear!

Yes I still have my pjs on but I have been on a very wet nearly two hour dog walk… honest guv!!

Dogs of Instagram

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