Jo Clifford in Eve Eve
10 August 2017
5 Stars
Jo Clifford walks out in front of the audience. She was the first openly trans playwright to have a play run in London's West End. She is a a proud father and grandmother. This is her extraordinary story.
And what a story. This will be one of the most honest accounts of change and transgression that you will see on the Fringe. At first I wondered if Jo's gentle voice and delivery would be enough to sustain my interest through the entire show. But with co-writer Chris Goode and director Susan Worsfold, a fine theatrical piece has been created, using personal photographs and memories to bring us to the woman Jo now is.
As the show went on, it became a privilege to be in the room with her. If you want to know why gender neutral toilets are important, witness Jo's experiences. With trans equally still under threat, the show gently lifts you out of your taken for granted privilege, and makes you aware of the struggles that anyone different from the norm goes through, even if you are different yourself. This is a piece in which Jo offers an embrace rather than a roar, and you embrace her back. The poetic nature of the last few minutes makes the material soar, and this is a piece that stays with you long after Jo leaves you.
EVE TICKETS AT EDIBURGH FESTIVAL
Mark Ludmon has been a journalist for over 20 years, specialising in writing about theatre and the arts as well as bars, pubs and drink. He has been on the theatre judging panel for London’s Olivier Awards and has a masters degree in English literature, specialising in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He has an MA in theatre research, criticism and dramaturgy from the University of London’s Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. You can find him tweeting about theatre as @MarkLudmon and writing about theatre at markludmon.com.
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