one4review | On 21, Aug 2022

Amie Enriquez’ solo show tells the tale of her painful battle with anorexia. The drama begins in an addiction treatment centre and, from the outset, the audience is aware of the consequences to Amie’s health as she lists the symptoms she is experiencing. Jane, the therapist, urges Amie to tell the new girl Nathalie her story and so we follow Amie’s journey from her internalised trauma when the planes hit the World Trade Centre to food avoidance at a family meal. There are also potential triggers along the way such as her treatment as a child model and the divorce of her parents. In one poignant moment, she declares that no one could touch her when there was nothing left to touch and so, by controlling her food intake, she felt in control of her life. As fellow inmates leave the centre to restart their lives, Amie shows little sign of recovery, but when Karen Carpenter appears in a dream, the realisation of where her life is heading shakes Amie to the core.

This play will stay with me for some time. I have rarely left a theatre feeling such a mixture of sadness and hope. Despite the subject matter, Amie manages to bring gentle humour to the proceedings but we are never far away from being aware of the constant danger she puts herself through by starving herself. Her portrayal of all the characters in her life story is convincing and her father’s appearance at a family session at the addiction centre is hilarious – think bull in a china shop! The piece ends with images of Amie from childhood to present day and the fact that she is able to stand in front of us is proof of the preciousness of life.

*****
Reviewed by Rona
Underbelly George Square – The Wee Coo
2.50pm (1hr)
Until 29th Aug