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BEFORE THE END Performing grief and filial piety ●●●●● FIRST TIME Funny and frank autobiographical show ●●●●●

Before the End has an explicit intention: when Catherine Graindorge’s father was dying, he asked her to perform a concert in his memory. Her father, Michel, was a famous Belgian lawyer, engaged in struggles for equality and ending up in prison himself when one of his clients escaped from the dock. Graindorge is a violinist and a writer, and she combines music, film, audio of her father and plenty of lo-fi technological trickery to relate Michel's biography. There is a sense of reverence in her memories of her father: both as a person and a lawyer, he is depicted as a man of integrity and compassion. Tracing some of the more unexpected aspects of Michel’s life and recounting the controversial public episodes, Graindorge addresses the grief that she can't shake and offers a sketch of a life lived to its full potential.

The contemplative tone, interrupted by the wail of the violin and electronic sounds, doesn't quite capture the passion and energy of the man, but as a personal testament, it is eloquent and moving. However, there is little sense of his character, or deeper moods, and the elegiac atmosphere dominates even the video footage of his political actions. (Gareth K Vile) n Summerhall, until 25 Aug, 1.15pm, £10 (£8).

With a stage strewn with props, costumes and the debris of a party, Nathaniel isn’t ready for an audience, he says. In fact, his show is about him getting ready to tell his story to us, to himself and, most importantly, to his family. Nathaniel had to come out twice: first as a gay man, and second as HIV positive. He contracted the virus from his first boyfriend, Sam, at just 16.

Manchester-based Nathaniel Hall’s autobiographical

solo show covers a lot of ground from distressing diagnosis to the glories of the NHS, from the horrific effects of medication to failed later relationships. But underneath, it’s a story of self-acceptance. Hall is a natural, unforced performer and raconteur,

gloriously camp at times, yet ready to yank the rug away to expose episodes of despair and torment. He’s harrowingly honest about his deepest lows a sequence dwelling on a cocktail of drugs (both prescribed and otherwise) is particularly moving as are his thoughts on his feelings of guilt and shame.

Unhurried and reflective, First Time is not without moments of fury. But ultimately it’s a captivating, life-affirming tale of resilience and determination. (David Kettle) n Summerhall, until 25 Aug (not 19), 4.15pm, £14.50 (£12.50).

HITLER’S TASTERS Black comedy about three unfortunate women in the Third Reich ●●●●●

Written by American playwright Michelle Kholos Brooks, Hitler’s Tasters has a fascinating premise, interpreting the experience of the three women selected to taste the Führer’s food to check if it was poisoned. Combining satire, black comedy and atmospheric movement, the play delves into the terrifying concept of indoctrination and control. Although the play is set in the 1940s, the three women are using mobile phones, taking incessant selfies as a wry comment on the way that distraction encourages ignorance of the reality of a situation. The morbid, witty script relentlessly shifts from immature conversations about sex to anti-semitic comments. The plot is equally unpredictable, and its daring twists feel seamless.

The movement sequences are effective, but unfortunately interrupt the far more effective dialogue scenes. And while the mobile phones make a clever political comment, the musical soundtrack drags the story too far from its historical context. Nonetheless, the strength of this play’s dark dialogue prevails to make a thoughtful and unsettling piece of work. (Rachel Baker) n Greenside @ Infirmary Street, until 24 Aug (not 18), 6.35pm, £11 (£8).

LUCY MCCORMICK: POST POPULAR Musical mess from the queen of performance art ●●●●●

Thank goodness for Lucy McCormick. Without her, those of us who love a good song and dance routine, but don’t want to feel dirty afterwards for bathing in the mainstream, would be lost. Fortunately, McCormick is willing to get dirty for us, in every possible way.

Following on from previous Fringe hit, Triple Threat, where she clambered inside the New Testament, McCormick is now looking at powerful women in history. Starting chronologically (“so the show makes some sort of sense”) she goes right back to the Garden of Eden to embody Eve. Then ends with the beheading of Anne Boleyn via Celtic warrior Boudica and hospital hero Florence Nightingale (that’s the chronology shot then). We, the crowd, are here to serve as bit-parts in what is

essentially the I Love Lucy show. But it’s a role we’re more than happy to play, whether it’s the front row holding up bits of foliage in Eden, playing the army to her wild-eyed Boudica, or simply bolstering her wafer-thin ego. For while (show) Lucy is a self-serving narcissist who treats her

fabulous sidekicks like dirt, (real) Lucy is lovely and talented, so we’ll forgive her anything. Especially when she and her dancers throw out a sharply synchronised routine, or McCormick’s silky voice slips down the microphone in a power ballad. And the fact that she does it covered in mud, sweat and tomato ketchup makes her even more lovable.

Ultimately, McCormick is searching for a hero to inspire and motivate her, so she can then do the same for us. But when, upon opening, the box of Cadbury’s Heroes she grabs is filled with empty wrappers, McCormick solves the problem with possibly the finest show ending I’ve ever seen. (Kelly Apter) n Pleasance Courtyard, until 25 Aug (not 19), 8pm, £13–£14 (£11–£12).

14–26 Aug 2019 THE LIST FESTIVAL 85