Edinburgh 2022: Review: TODAY I KILLED MY VERY FIRST BIRD, Pleasance Courtyard

Presented by Voodoo Monkeys and Theatre Royal Plymouth, Today I Killed My Very First Bird is a new play based on lived experience by Jason Brownlee. The stage setting is dark which really pulls you into the poetic storytelling. Our main narrator is a South-East London gangster who was born dead is reflecting on what drove his behaviour and how his life has turned out the way it has.

Today I Killed My Very First Bird is unrelenting as it explores themes of racism, drug abuse and sexual trauma without filter. It's funny at times which makes the contrast of the serious subjects all the more jarring.

The cast of five represent different people in Brownlee's life that he encounters during this 24 hour period. His mother is a heroin addict and her desperate efforts to find a last vein will haunt you. Brownlee's description of his mother is so much more than her illness as he gives insight as to what happened in her life and how it had a knock on effect on his.

It's not a comfortable or an easy watch but it shouldn't be. This unflinching play examines whether we are born broken or whether our lives and the people around us are what shapes us. Today I Killed My Very First Bird is a gripping, emotional and important piece of theatre that challenges the audience.

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