Birthday Fish offers a dark horror based physical performance, where two friends disappear together upstairs to take a breather from the party downstairs which from the sound in the background is in full swing.
Erin Hughes and Stephanie Burnell work closely together on stage. Their rapport is especially tight during the scene at the table when they start eating the cakes and party rings.
The performance can leap between scenes which doesn’t make it easy to follow. The tale of the dead fish on the pavement didn’t necessarily follow in the storyline. I was left rather puzzled as the why it was there. I thought the friends had taken drugs and this was the result of them tripping upon reading the press release it doesn’t appear to be.
With the surreal performance and horror-themed storyline, the fish and other themes in the play are left open to audience interpretations. Therefore it can mean different things to each member of the audience. This review might not match with someone else’s view of the play.
Birthday Fish is an interesting experimental piece which certainly fits into the largest theatre and arts festival in the world. It is unlikely that everyone will interpret the storyline the same. Trying new ideas and works is an important part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Three Stars.
For more information about Birthday Fish please visit the link below.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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