The team of writer Joshua King and Jasmin Gleeson, the founders of Moon Rabbit theatre company, return to this year’s Fringe with another well-crafted and mesmerising one-woman show Victorine.
Last year’s The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness told the poignant diaspora story of an Irish nurse during World War Two, this time we are transported to 1860s Paris where Gleeson takes on the role of Victorine, an Irish immigrant trying to make her way as an artist’s model in Paris.
Swigging red wine from a bottle, with a glint in her eye, Victorine delivers endless comical twists during what many would consider a “miserable” time but the experience is not wasted. It’s not long before she takes up the paintbrush herself which delivers her to a more enriching journey of self-discovery before returning to Ireland.
Victorine becomes lost in her art while shutting out the men who determine her tomorrow be it through art or the violence of war all around. Gleeson has a tremendous talent, her character parts two years running now have been nothing short of compelling.
King’s writing is also a knock-out, the pair have a rare chemistry that leaves you feeling inspired long after the stage curtain has been drawn.
Victorine-The Artist’s Model, Greenside At Riddle’s Court
