Home is Not the Place
★★★☆☆ Enlightening
Summerhall (Venue 26): Thurs 3– Sat 27 Aug 2022
Review by Suzanne O’Brien
Annie George’s powerful solo show Home is Not the Place, at Summerhall TechCube 0 on odd days of the Fringe, follows her attempts to discover her identity through her ancestors.
Having left her homeland at the age of four, George craves to know where she came from. This thought-provoking piece conveys her personal story as she learns about her grandfather PM John, a writer from Kerala, whilst touching on India’s independence and British rule.
Annie George in Home is not the Place. Pic: Lynsday Sneddon.
George brings her family to life through images and impersonations whilst going back and forth across different time periods. She has a powerful presence on stage as she delves into the history of her family, heritage, Indian culture and questions what home actually means to her.
Her desire and craving for answers is strong and cleverly highlighted through her animated storytelling as well as relation of her experiences growing up and her current endeavours.
Quite stunning projections by Robert Motyka masterfully evoke different times and places whilst also creating depth within the performance.
moving score
In addition to the multiple screens used for the projection, consideration of both the set and costume means that at points the entire stage turns into a specific scene or building. The visuals also marry extremely well to Niroshini Thambar’s moving score.
Directed by Gerry Mulgrew, the piece also highlights different forms of racism and segregation across generations in a very matter of fact way.
Unfortunately, at points the story as a whole feels slightly disjointed, while the transitions between time periods and character are not always explicit. In addition, the tone of the piece doesn’t change enough to help to define different elements in the story, which allows intrigue to waver.
The strength of Home Is Not the Place lies is the subject matter. Its exploration of migration and empire is incredibly enlightening. It shines a light on the struggles of many, through one person’s journey.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
Summerhall (TechCube 0), 1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL (Venue 26)
Wednesday 3 – Saturday 27 August 2022
Odd days only: 19:20
Tickets and details: Book here.
Website: http://anniegeorge.net/
Facebook: @msanniegeorge
Instagram: @msanniegeorge
Twitter: @msanniegeorge
Annie George in Home is not the Place. Pic: Lynsday Sneddon.
ENDS
