EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CHARACTER FLAW, Greenside

Character Flaw begins with an apology. Philippa Dawson, or Pip, jogs on stage with a huge backpack, stressed and frazzled and running late. This candid comedy runs through the heart of this sweet, personal show as Pip invites us into her mind.

Have you ever left your bag on the bus? What about leaving your passport at the airport? As the show fully begins, Pip highlights the relatability of ADHD struggles - as she points out, the symptoms are present in everyone, it’s just only some people that experience them to a level that significantly impacts their daily lives. The show mostly consists of Pip recounting chaotic anecdotes from her own life, interspersed with a story about missing her train to Edinburgh and scenes from her diagnosis and doctor’s appointments. We also meet Jean, the voice of her ADHD mind that takes the persona of a middle-aged Scottish woman.

Character Flaw’s biggest draw is Dawson’s performance. She is so easy to watch, with a natural stage presence and immediate likeability. Ever spritely, she leaps around the stage reenacting different memories, from flooding a friend’s bathroom to having a whole library hear her private online chats after forgetting to plug in her headphones. Nat Kennedy’s direction uses the space - quite a large stage for just a solo performance - very well, on top of creating a show that varies in pace and mode of storytelling enough to keep us engaged for the full hour.

Some of the show’s most interesting moments come in its discussion of queerness. Pip tells us about how she doubted herself as a lesbian due to the insecurity and instability that comes with being a woman with ADHD - she kept second-guessing herself, assuming she was just being impulsive. It would have been nice to see this point become more of a focus of the show - at times Character Flaw can feel a little surface level, trying to encompass the full ADHD experience rather than diving deep into specific, nuanced aspects of the performer’s experience with it. And while there are some great laugh-out-loud moments - including a reference to those ADHD TikToks we’ve all come across - the comedy can become a little repetitive in tone. 

It’s clear that Character Flaw really hits home for its target audience, with many audience members squeezing their friends’ hands, beaming, and really seeing themselves on stage. Pip is doing great work, and this is a fun, easy-to-watch show that puts a smile on your face. 

Character Flaw runs at Greenside (Nicholson Square) until 26 August

Image Credit: Meg Hatfield

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