I’m a Phoenix Bitch is an autobiographical play with music by Bryony Kimmings. This solo show focuses on her journey from meeting the father to her son through to discovering and dealing with the illness her son has. She openly talks about the breakdown she has as a result and her road to recovery.

Despite the weighty topic of the show Bryony Kimmings delivers an incredible amount of light and shade throughout. One moment she has the audience laughing along with her and the next moment listening in shock as the traumatic next stage of her journey is revealed. This contrast makes these moments starker and really heightens the impact it has on the audience.

One of the exceptional things about I’m A Phoenix Bitch was Bryony Kimmings’ storytelling ability. Many would assume that a solo show is simply the actress standing and delivering the show straight out to the audience, this couldn’t be further from the truth for Bryony Kimmings. Her staging is unique, as large sheets are removed from various props scattered across the stage, these props become vital to the next moment in her life. These vital moments of her life are displayed using a variety of techniques, we get a horror movie setting, a music video, a model cottage and often live streaming moments of the show, projecting images onto the back wall, playing with perspective and perception as she does so.

The tension that builds up throughout the show using these techniques is a masterpiece and the show gradually becomes darker. This climaxes at a moment where, through a combination of clever projection and Bryony Kimmings’ own ability to re-enact her darkest moments, we see Kimmings’ darkest moment. This moment is raw and the depiction of her psychotic episode is unique and unlike anything I’ve seen before.

Bryony Kimmings: I’m A Phoenix Bitch is relentless, innovative and searingly truthful, a wonderful example of how autobiographical shows, can and should be done.

Bryony Kimmings: I’m A Phoenix Bitch is on at the Pleasance Courtyard at 17:30 – 18:50. To find out more about Bryony Kimmings visit her website.

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