The List @ Summerhall

Bold, brash and matter of fact, Maureen Beattie's solo performance is a total joy to witness and the heart and soul of The List. Stellar Quines Theatre Company take the audience to rural Quebec in Canada as our protagonist attempts to adjust to country life. This however is much more than a fish out of water story as we are exposed to a housewife who has a peculiar obsession for making lists.
 
The seasons change along with the mood. A miniature model of a house, discretely hidden in the corner of the stage, offers an insight to the bigger picture of rural life. When Beattie delicately sprinkles fake snow on the house, we are now in winter and a feeling of melancholy and loss is explicit, hanging over the performance. Beattie stalks the stage with menace as she accounts a friendship with a woman named Caroline who is adamant that she would like another child. This friendship is the backbone of the story and raises issues of motherhood and trust. The conclusion is genuinely harrowing, with a list itself key to the outcome.
 
Written by Jennifer Tremblay and directed by Muriel Romanes, The List is a haunting tale that is a pure pleasure to experience. Set design and performance harmonise to produce a powerful piece of theatre. [Steven Fraser]