EDINBURGH 2021: Review: EGG, Black Box Live

Written and performed by Erin Fowler, EGG is a solo show that combines storytelling, dance and clowning to describe one woman's experience of making fertility decisions.

Opening with a dance to Enya's "Sail Away", Fowler comically reenacts her conception in 1987 while dressed as an egg.

Fowler talks us through her expectations for the future. At 31, she had planned to leave Australia and move to Scotland to meet the partner she has designed in her imagination. She would continue to work in the arts, settle in Edinburgh, get married and then have a baby. Then the pandemic happened. It became apparent that Fowler would not be moving to Scotland any time soon so she has had to reconsider her plans.

When googling for information about her choices, one option keeps coming up. Freezing her eggs. Weighing up the pros and cons (significant financial cost vs extending her childbearing years) we hear her inner monologue as she uses this show to try and make her decision.

Set to a fun and upbeat soundtrack, the storytelling element of the show is excellent. Fowler is a compelling performer and a delight to watch. The clowning parts lost me slightly and I definitely think the strength of the show is the focus on the personal dilemma rather than the absurd. EGG is a highly enjoyable watch, if a little uneven with its narrative style.

EGG is available on demand through Black Box Live.