one4review | On 11, Aug 2025

In the intimate confines of the Pickle Studio, Father, Away She Goes has a sparse stage with a blank canvas on an easel, a half-empty bottle of vodka, and a chair. It’s a minimalist set that leaves all the focus where it belongs — on Electra Kolb’s stunning performance. This young actress, who also penned the script, delivers a tour de force that is as precise and controlled as it is emotionally volatile.
Sarah, her creation, is a wannabe artist and, at first, a frankly unlikeable figure. She sneers at friends who use art to address social issues, rails against art schools that reject her work for lacking depth and resents the ever-present internal voice of her mother — who calls her a narcissist. Sarah, however, will only admit to being a compulsive liar. After a fight with her mother, she is now living awkwardly with an ex-friend’s family.
Just when we think we have her figured out, the play takes a sharp, dark turn. Suddenly, Sarah is no longer merely cynical and bitter; she becomes a tragic figure, her bravado slipping to reveal raw vulnerability. A final twist leaves us reeling.
My only complaint? It ended too soon. Kolb’s performance is flawless, almost balletic in its precision — a riveting piece from a remarkable emerging talent.

****1/2
Reviewed by Rona
Pickle Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court
Until 16th August