ScotsGay Magazine

****

Observing incest seated on a stiff-backed pew. Only at the Edinburgh Fringe! Harper Ray and Karen French portray Byron and Augusta Leigh, and involve us in the relationship between Byron and his half-sister throughout its course, starting and ending with their final meeting. The many quotations used blend seamlessly into the dialogue. The continual references to the threat from "society" of scandal, combined with the tiny venue, make the audience feel intimately involved if not implicated.

Dance sequences vividly display how the emotions in the relationship alter over time. There are surprisingly intense moments, as when Byron states, "We're cut!" and "society" is taking its revenge. We do not see any agreeable aspects of Byron, and the audience might be forgiven for wondering why Augusta persists. This is an intense chamber piece, which leaves the audience feeling that they have overheard the passionate conversation of another age.

Tony Challis

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