Dreaming of Max by Jackie Kleefield Cohn, a solo sailing holiday in Guadeloupe, leaves a lasting memory for Jackie after meeting her beguiling sailing instructor, Max.
Once she leaves Guadeloupe, she realises that she can’t get Max out of her mind and wants to see him again. However, she can’t afford another holiday! She does the next best thing and starts working for the holiday rep company with his destination on her horizon. If they can work at the same resort, she can see him. Easy!
If the storyline was going to be that straightforward, it would not be a particularly interesting Edinburgh Fringe production. Her career change leads to a lot of travelling across Europe and some dodgy situations and lots of email exchanges in Internet cafes, all in pursuit of her to see Max again.
However, they keep missing one another by minutes, and the smile she longs to see again keeps slipping out of reach. Although that doesn’t stop her from continuing on her search.
Jackie is a calm and authentic storyteller. There’s nothing in the storyline that suggests it has been elaborated or seen through a nostalgic lens. I left the room intrigued about Max and would like to have seen that smile, which has left an affectionate lasting impression.
This a heart-warming story that many audience members will be able to relate to. There’s that one person who just “gets to you,” and you can’t explain it, but you just want more of them whether you act on that or not.
For more information about Dreaming of Max and other productions across Edinburgh Fringe, please use the link below.
Four Stars.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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