EDINBURGH 2023: Review: OH MY HEART, OH MY HOME, Summerhall

We gather around a closed dollhouse, ready for Casey Jay Andrews to tell us a story. She confesses she’s never seen a shooting star, but her sister is an astrophysicist and this information will become relevant later. The miniature opens, revealing a world of wonder and memories, filled to the brim with theatrical magic.

The audience is transported to a little house on top of a hill, the village below and the cosmos above. Threading through the personal mythology that this family holds dear, we follow as a young woman tries to ease the sense of aimlessness of her own existence and finds her purpose.

An underlying melancholy permeates glistening storytelling, while a cosy set embraces the action in a warm hug. Live music and audio mixing build a delicate, folkloric atmosphere that highlights the fairytale side of it all. It’s a tale of growing out of family constraints and going back to their safety.

Beautifully woven with compassionate strokes of poetry, it’s simply marvellous from start to bottom. Andrews has a magnetic personality. She captivates the crowd, figuratively turning them into children under a pillow fort. We hang off her lips. It’s a treat for the spirit.

Oh My Heart, Oh My Home runs at Summerhall on the following dates: 8-13, 15-20, 22-27 August.

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