Review: Dahlia Lesh's STRINGS ATTACHED at the Ottawa Fringe Festival

Strings Attached is a gut-wrenching two-person play that explores themes of mental illness. The show delves into how it feels to have a monster in your head. Even as you attempt to rationalize and to fight against it, it haunts every waking moment, filling your head with feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing.

We meet a young woman (Dahlia Lesh), in the midst recounting a happy memory, reflecting on the freedom her childhood afforded her. Freedom from suffering, freedom from the belief that the world is inherently good, freedom from abuse, freedom from the pain that she now inflicts upon herself in order to feel anything at all. Constantly at her side is the monster inside her head (Marianna Kokkinos), who taunts and demeans her, dashing all hope, and convincing her that there is only one way out.

The cast performances are astoundingly good, with the actors playing off each other’s emotions to evoke a series of highs and lows. Disquieting moments are frequent and deliberate to inject the audience into the subconscious of the woman. Lighting effects brilliantly accentuate significant moments in the play. The story is based on Lesh’s own experiences, which explains why it feels so extraordinarily genuine. Of course, this also makes the story even more heartbreaking than if it were merely fiction. Lesh uses the opportunity at the end of the play to explain the personal circumstances that led to her writing the play, while ensuring that the audience leaves not with a feeling of helplessness, but with recognition, empathy, and a fierce desire to overcome.

Ottawa Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. NEXT TO NORMAL (Elevator Theatre Company)

12.2% of votes

2. LEGALLY BLONDE (Carleton Musical Theatre Society)

10.8% of votes

3. THE PROM (Suzart Productions)

10.5% of votes

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