Dhara Paul bought her solo performance to The Fireside Folktales Barnes Fringe Festival called Resurgam. Paul combined narrative and songs to tell two stories about love and loss.

The initial opening is the set in the newly built Thornfield Bar, and the audience is addressed as old friends and patrons coming back together after a devastating fire wiped it out and everyone lost somewhere there liked being.

However, the storyline diverts into the relationship with her Mum and her mothers struggles and determined attitude to survive as a single parent. Nowadays, it is a very common story in every area of the United Kingdom.

The storyline then takes another route into an unlikely friendship, which is born out a love of art. With a lady called Helen, who sounded fascinating, especially the mosaics that she created..

Unfortunately, there are too many themes brought together in one show and, at times, become slightly disjointed. To deliver a storyline with emotional themes as intense as these, I would have expected to feel more passion and a change in tempo throughout the performance from Paul. Instead, it predominantly remains at one pitch, which isn’t necessarily easy to follow.

Paul does have an incredible singing voice, and the songs broke up the story. Although I wasn’t always completely sure how they linked into the storyline.

For a production with as many complex directions and  emotional themes, it would benefit from editing and concentrating on one direction with clarity if this play plans on having a future.

For more information about The Fireside Folktales Barnes Fringe Festival, please use the link below.

Three Stars.

https://shadowroad.com/fireside-folktales-fringe/