Theatre review: Misfit Warrior, theSpace on North Bridge, Edinburgh
Misfit Warrior, theSpace on North Bridge, Edinburgh * * *
'A rebel story of a warrior,' it would benefit from on an onstage synthesiser, rather than pre-recorded one, but has a low-key aesthetic paired with high-octane energy and a Mad Max meets melting New Romantics style, which Saint and his two co-performers effectively use to stick two fingers up at the stigma of being HIV-positive.
As we travel back through Saint's life, the songs are stronger than more melodramatic disputes between him and his partner, with two of the three performers continually swapping roles – perhaps intended to illustrate that we can all be both a 'misfit' and a 'warrior' at times. This theme could be explored more, but an improvised finale in which our softly spoken host thanks us for helping to keep him alive shatters the divide between audience and show, fact and fiction, in the way the Fringe so often and so wonderfully allows to happen like nowhere else.
Until 24 August