Dear Cathy begins with one woman (Amelia Sweetland) apologising for her absence in what we presume is either a close friend or family’s life, called Cathy. If this relationship is confirmed, I have missed it.
The two ladies haven’t seen each other in quite a while, and our narrator, Sweetland, is at first really struggling to find the words to start the conversation. This becomes clear once she finds her voice. Sometimes, something is so painful and difficult to explain that you require time to gather your thoughts and words, or you simply don’t want to burden anyone else with the traumatic events.
After all the life she thought she had, has now been turned onto its head and ripped apart. Not only is she explaining the horrendous situation but attempting to make sense of the trauma and betrayal at the same time. Saying things like this out loud takes a lot of courage.
The storyline flows as it explores grief, isolation, resilience, and the pressure to remain silent around deeply personal loss. With everything she goes through, I would imagine that there’s also an element of embarrassment about everything she is experiencing.
There are many spoilers in this production and themes that I had no previous knowledge of and have since gone away and researched. Themes of grief, betrayal, and the harsh reality of facing the emotional trauma surrounding infertility.
At one hour and ten minutes, it’s a slightly longer fringe show than average. With the storyline editing the story to around 55 minutes would make the impact of some scenes more hard hitting than stretching them out in its current format.
For more information about Dear Cathy and other productions across Edinburgh Fringe, please use the link below.
Three and a half Stars.
Written and directed by John Brindley.
Co-directed by Georgia Emily Scott.
Performed by Amelia Sweetland.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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