Mess

Caroline Horton & Co./China Plate (England)

A spectacular hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, and hitting Vancouver as part of an international tour, Mess is the best production yet from English theatre maker Caroline Horton, whose work has garnered acclaim and awards throughout the UK.

Horton brings us the story of Josephine and her dream to mount a play. Josephine is thinking big: a revolving stage, a full orchestra from Vienna and more. The production will be a kind of redemption for her, confronting the issues that define her life: obsession, eating disorders, addiction and, well, just not wanting to get out of bed. As she and her cohorts work towards their goal of recovery, we see a world come to life. It’s a place of pain and passion, brought to us with wild invention, laughs galore and great songs to boot. What Horton and company offer us is an exploration of the ground where comedy and anguish meet. It’s rough territory, but in the end the show is an expression of hope.

It is impossible to imagine anyone who wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy this funny, sweet and illuminating piece.”

Comes perilously close to genius and announces Horton as a major, major talent.”

—Time Out

Part of the caravan: new english performance showcase, a curated programme of work designed to introduce, foster collaborations and build new audiences from some of England’s most exciting contemporary artists. caravan is delivered by Farnham Maltings.

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