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Searching undeterred: The Gift @ParkTheatre

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I recently had a few parcels go missing from where I live. The first parcel disappeared without a trace. The second parcel's contents were removed, and the box was left alone in the lobby. It's one of the things that you have to put up with living in central London. Apart from complaining to the delivery company and filing a police report, it crossed my mind to think about what would happen if I sent myself something rather unpleasant for a future parcel thief to open up. Well, Dave Florez's new work, The Gift, is in this line of thinking, except that the lead receives an anonymous gift of a turd in the mail rather than sending it to himself. It is lovingly gift-wrapped in a cake box from a posh north London bakery. It's a fascinating and hilarious three-hander currently playing at Park Theatre .  Colin (Nicholas Burns) is a little obsessive at the best of times. He doesn't let things drop quickly and is obsessed with the details behind anything and everythi...

Breaking bread: Eating Myself @BrxHouseTheatre


Food as a starter for conversation, making a new family, and finding a place is at the heart of Eating Myself, Pepa Duarte’s story of exploring what it is to be a woman from Peru, living in London, living with unrealistic body images. It’s having a short run at the Brixton House as part of the Housemates season, where artists take over the house throughout July.

In this short piece, which has previously been online, Pepa explains how she cooks on a stovetop a Peruvian dish with beans and potatoes and a lot of added extras that, when growing up, she was never supposed to eat. It reminds her of her grandmother and brings her back to her roots. As the show progresses, the dish's aromas waft through the audience bringing to life the words in a sensory experience. And one that might make you a little hungry. 


But it also is a story about diets and calorie counting. Pepa directly asks the audience if they think she is fat. It’s a direct question to the audience that sets the scene about body image. But she also uses her body to convey her battles with body image and her attempts at dieting, and the exhausting yet scientifically dubious process of calorie counting. She parades, hides under tables, and rolls on the floor in an endearing performance as she recounts her struggles and those of her relatives. 

In addition to a stovetop, various other kitchen utensils and foods hang in the background as part of some surreal religious experience. Perhaps, in this case, they are. 

And for those who found the aromas too irresistible throughout the show, you can take a bowl of the dish with them to the next show as well. 

Written and performed by Pepa Duarte, Eating Myself is at Brixton House as part of the Housemates season only until 15 July. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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