EDINBURGH 2023: Review: LOOKING FOR GIANTS, Underbelly Cowgate

It’s the last year of university, and a student is stuck with a hostile thesis supervisor. After being put down academically by his cruel haughtiness, the girl starts having a different approach. Cesca Echlin’s debut one-woman play is a sophisticated monologue on the significance of people in our lives.

From answering back to her professor to suddenly pining for him, only to then look for the validation and attention of older men on dating apps, Looking for Giants is a lyrical stream of consciousness that tackles the romantic disappointment, loneliness, and confusion we experience on the road to finding ourselves.

Echlin is an incredibly gifted, poetic writer. She visualises the pain of youth and externalises it with quiet humour and breezy observations that hide deep heartbreak. Abby McCann Performs with a magnetic personality and expressive, captivating eyes, taking her audience through a confessional journey where she tries to find out why she is the way she is. The performer has no need for props or sets: a simple stool and a microphone to add dynamism to her characters are enough for her to craft a hypnotic performance. 

She despairs for her character, questioning her actions. She sees the manipulations of the men she is attracted to, whilst at the same time acknowledging their obliviousness to her attention and her desperate need to receive some back.

Extremely witty and direct, the production is a bittersweet gem.

Looking For Giants runs at Underbelly Cowgate until 13 August.

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