by Laura Kressly

Theatre Ad Infinitum has developed a reputation for excellent storytelling about a vast range of subjects, all performed with a distinctive physical language. Their latest touring show is no different. The solo performance platforms some of the women in Greek mythology who are villianised, minimised and/or ignored by the canon. As well as giving them a chance to tell their stories, the show prompts reflection on women’s depiction in legend and literature.

The main character in this collection of tales is Medusa, who starts the show and provides a through-line. True to the overarching message, she looks nothing like how artists typically depict her. A sleek black suit and pronounced lack of snakes on her head means she could be anyone. In actuality, she is one of the sisters who the gods tasked with archiving the ancient world’s events in a temple of Mount Olympus. It’s in this capacity that she is determined to tell us her whole story, and those of her friends.

There are three particular women we hear about, and mentions of several others. All are portrayed by a one performer, the always-compelling Deborah Pugh. She is a versatile and transformative performer who deftly uses movement and voice to create drama and tension, with only the support of minimalist design elements. This is performance storytelling at its finest.

This is a smart companion piece to the Ad Infintium’s one-person Odyssey, created and performed by company co-founder George Mann – who also directed and co-created this piece with Pugh – but it stands alone in its own right as a challenge to the predominantly cis male stories that dominate the social and cultural imagination.

Beautiful Evil Things runs through 27 August.

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