Those People review: A silly, tender show about the mess of queer friendship
Edinburgh Fringe
〰️
Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
by Zoe Paskett
In Lara and Riana’s friendship, there is a tension that arises from some messy, complicated place of admiration, envy, love and insecurity. If you’re a queer woman, it’s an experience you’ll more than likely be familiar with. The definitely(?) platonic romantic nature of sapphic friendships.
Those People, Lara Ciulli and Riana White, are a breath of fresh air and present a show that unpacks this odd existence with equal measures of absurdity and tenderness. It lives in the hybrid space between sketch, clowning and theatre, and is emphatically queer, both extremely funny and bittersweet. I’m a sucker for a show that has been clearly built on queer stages and with queer audiences in mind.
We first meet them as they exist on screen, a tether to their real life friendship. Their sketches take us through romantic relationships and breakups, and family unease alike. They’re bold with the form and not afraid of a sharp turn, but always come back to something silly. There were multiple parts that had me howling in a very real, embarrassingly loud way (luckily, I was by no means alone in this), in particular a Wuthering Heights interpretation that I will be thinking about forever.
They play with awkwardness so well, and both possess their own distinct physicality that is individually funny, but makes something special when combined. Sometimes they’re stuck together with superglue, co-dependently dancing and using every inch of their bodies to communicate, and other times they emphasise their differences through separation.
Is the mess ever cleared up? Not really, in the show or in real life. There’s nothing clean about friendships that go this deep, that have a closeness that allows for soul bearing, but also knowing exactly what the other’s pressure points are and how hard you have to push to get a reaction.
But ultimately it’s uproariously funny, and has an ending that will leave you wanting to run into the arms of your best friend and tell them you love them. Platonically, of course.
Those People are at Pleasance Courtyard, Attic, 23:00 (not 17th). Tickets here
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