Dance, Physical Theatre & Circus review: Slut
Summerhall (Venue 26)
***
The story is a familiar one, of a young girl born into the ordinary happiness of childhood, but forced at an early age into a gathering nightmare of abuse and exploitation, caught between the tranquil beauty of her inherited Indian culture, and the garish semblance of western “glamour” – tight dresses, sky-high heels, blonde wigs – adopted by street prostitutes the world over.
It’s hard to feel that this show brings much new insight to a subject that has been very thoroughly explored – and sometimes almost fetishised – in British drama in recent years; and it sadly undermines a very beautiful tragic ending, taking us back to all that is lost in the brash urban culture of the 21st century, by adding a final crude satirical song about male attitudes, that would have been better placed earlier.
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Hide AdYet some of the images of a generation of young women lost between the cultures of India and the West have a great power and sadness; and the show is delivered with memorable pain and passion, by a company who clearly care very deeply about the tale they tell.
Until 27 August. Today 11:45am.