Review: DRIP FEED, Soho Theatre

It's Cork, 1998. Brenda sits contemplating a messy night out, which quickly escalates into a reflection on her entire adult experience. Nursing a disgusting hangover, she investigates the actions of her past, and attempts to regain control of her downward spiralling life. Fresh from a celebrated run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Karen Cogan brings her messy comedy to the Soho Theatre.

A story revolving around what it's like to be queer, female and young-ish, Cogan has written and performs in a piece that is a pure delight. Containing a fine balance of humour and horror, this is storytelling at its finest. The audience are immersed into a world of ferocity, ecstasy and delight.

Cogan has captured it brilliantly. Her writing rhythmic and her delivery soft, there's a wonderful naturalism to the whole thing - the entire performance is a raw outpouring of emotion that feels genuinely authentic. The words roll of the tongue with ease as we hear recollections of dancing on tables, 3am breakfast rolls and waking up on the wrong person's doorstep.

The play is so engrained in Irish culture, and it's lovely to hear twangs of the accent and words local to that area. Anecdotes are told about areas of Cogan's community; we're introduced to where she loved, longed and lost. Whether it be skulking around the bin cage spying on a former lover, or dripping blood in the sunlit high street, let's just say Brenda's life is eventful.

If you're unfamiliar with Irish heritage or that setting, I wouldn't let that put you off. Sure it's about a small part of the world and one individual's position within it, yet the writing provides you with so much more of a peripheral view on things. Let's face it, themes of passion, desire and despair are universal emotions we've all felt.

And feel them we do, and it's mainly down to Cogan's brilliant script and delivery. This was a really lovely evening out.

Drip Feed at the Soho Theatre until 20 October

Photo credit: Simon Lazewski

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