Summerhall

2-25 August

£7-£10

13.25

“Head in the Clouds: The Peregrinations of Marie Marvingt” is a charming and whimsical show revolving around the extraordinary life of Marie Marvingt. The story of Marie’s life, tragic love story and passion for flying is unwoven through props, audience interaction, mime, songs on the ukele and occasional conversations with a pigeon called Pierre.

Helen Aldrich is a very strong performer, creating warm and personable characters with well sustained accents, good physical performances and mimes, and more than enough charisma to sustain this one person show.

The only point of criticism would be that although it starts off strongly with audience interactions suitable for family audiences these seemed to trail off quite quickly (although this may be due to an entirely adult audience at the time of review) and it seems not quite certain if it’s aiming towards the family market or more towards the physical theatre market. It is certainly a refreshing break from the darker, more harrowing physical theatre performances on the fringe. If you want to see a highly capable performer, and a show that will leave you with a warm sense of nostalgia, Head in the Clouds is certainly worth a visit. FOUR STARS

Reviewer – Lydia Mason