Edinburgh Village Hall 2012: Ellen Thorpe

Name of company	Caroline Horton
Name of show	Mess
Genre	Theatre
Venue	Traverse
Date	8.8.12

Review It was hard to think how one would present a piece about Anorexia Nervosa and Caroline Horton manages to explore this mental health issue with humour and incisive comment.  The performance was strong and well acted.  The music and sound effects were very good, the comedy slightly surreal.  It was an ensemble piece and had integrity.  The company work perfectly together to create aspects of the ‘controlled’ world of the anorexic.  The actors used the dialogue to explore and illuminate aspects of anorexia and sometimes stepped out of character to comment and make lighter moments.  It is brave to tackle a subject like this and one should be aware Anorexia Nervosa is not confined to ‘girls’ nor even ‘young people ’ and can afflict people of any age.

Why is the work suitable or not suitable / ready for rural touring ?	A high quality piece Not for rural touring
Why would you book them ?  or  Why wouldn’t you book them ?	The subject matter and production would not lend itself to working in community halls
Why would it be worth pursuing this company to consider work in the future? Or not  ?	Of course and I have booked Caroline Horton before.