★★★
Red Aphrodite is a 45 minute stand up set in BSL (interpreted to English) in which Murray hopes to break down all the taboos about womanhood.
Murray has great presence and instantly gets the audience on side. Topics range from periods to the pitfalls of dating hearing guys and are told with plenty of warmth and confidence.
“You know how it is, you do the hearing world and you pretend.”
An anecdote involving a first date at an Italian is a brilliant way to start the show whilst highlighting the annoying frustrations many Deaf people still have to encounter on a daily basis. The Edinburgh Deaf Festival aims to: “bring the arts to deaf audiences, giving deaf people access to festivals in a way that they haven’t had before. Also [giving] mainstream audiences the opportunity to learn more about our rich deaf culture” and Murray’s witty script is full of fantastic moments that hearing audiences need to hear and take on board!
I’d have loved to see a bit more of a through line or narrative weaved into the stories, perhaps referring back to situations or people later on in the set, as it felt more like a series of separate comedy sketches than a complete show at times.
It’s fantastic to see stand up at the Fringe happening in BSL, and both deaf and hearing audience members enjoying it. It’s also great to see Edinburgh Deaf Festival back for a second year. I hope they can continue to gain momentum and go from strength to strength.
Review by Laura Crow
