Spaces Audio Plays: Hello Agnieszka

One of the wonderful aspects of the Watford Fringe Festival is the way boundaries of performance and expectation are challenged and stretched. Although audio drama is by no means a new medium, it's inclusion in a fringe festival is a brave and intriguing treat.

So it was with curiosity and keenness I approached 'Spaces', an anthology of audio plays where each immersive story draws you into a different location. There are five plays in total, exploring ordinary spaces from a car to a corridor, with a toilet somewhere in between. I dipped my toe into the hydrophobic landscape of just one of them, 'Hello Agnieszka', set in a bath.

Written by Anna Whealing, the 20 minute drama explores the story of a first-time mother struggling to come to terms with her pregnancy and the way it changes her body, her relationships and her sense of identity. She describes pain with resignation and clarity, her changing body as a 'lumpy marinating potato', and the fleeting nature of memory and love with delicacy.

There is clearly character, and to a lesser degree plot, driving this piece forward, but what I found truly arresting was the simple power of the soundscape to utterly envelope the listener. Beautifully rhythmic drips from a bath tap created a claustrophobic atmosphere, aural bars to a self-imposed cage. A rich bed of hypnotic synthetic sounds created a meditative tone which took my imagination to a spiritual place. And the English narration of expectant mother Camilla (played with careful understatement by Elizabeth Grace), complimented with asides from the Polish speaking grandmother, brings you back into the earthly, human story.

In all honesty, I would struggle to tell you precisely what that story was. But what I can say without any struggle is that 'Hello Agnieszka' was one of the most arresting, perplexing and delightful 20 minutes I've spent at the fringe. Poetic, charming, and hauntingly atmospheric. Camilla remarks that crying is the same in Polish and in English. Similarly, this was an experience that bypassed traditional narrative storytelling and tapped straight into deep emotion.

Your ticket purchase provides access to the full collection of audio plays. If they're anything like the bath, they'll be worth the visit.

Pieces of PeeVira

 Pieces of PeeVira: A 10 Year Retrospective

For anyone who's a fan of PeeVira, also known as The Fringy Mime Queen, this is a must see retrospective. The opening exposition creates a rather reverential tone from the outset, which is perhaps surprising for an act associated with challenging stereotypes, breaking convention and sticking two (or more) fingers up to authority. PeeVira's early years are narrated by a formally toned, serious-voiced female which makes it hard to switch from dry biography to outrageous humour. The visuals, an ethereal scene of rather foreboding clouds, don't really help, suggesting the substance of the 20 minute video will be a spiritual if somewhat turbulent journey of someone trying to find their place in life.

The journey is indeed a triumphant one, overcoming adversity to reach the heights of success. We're given a powerpoint style list of PeeVira's many achievements, including several first place victories in illustrious drag competitions and even a cameo appearance on America's Got Talent.

However, the highlights of the show are the 3 or 4 set piece performances where PeeVira (named after her idols Pee Wee Herman and Elvira) recreates some her most popular sketches. The trouble from the perspective of a viewer like me who doesn't know her work already is these performances felt like the minority of the video. And in the face of the formal documentary style narrative, they couldn't really generate the sense of comedy, fun and naughtiness that she must evidently create in her more natural live setting. Definitely not one for the kids, her parody of Rocky Horror Picture Show and It's A Small World give a delightful glimpse of her cheeky humour and downright drag rudeness.

Written, performed, directed and created by AJ Pratts, perhaps another hand on board might have balanced out the conflicts of tone. This is a show which summaries CV like the many achievements of a drag success, but doesn't do enough to actually replicate the magic and sense of fun that made her a success.