FATAL FLOWER Comes to Edinburgh

Rooted in female rage — explosive, absurd and over-the-top — this multi-disciplinary theatre show blends cabaret and comedy with opera, musical theatre and classical music to deconstruct the image of women in society. Drawing on creator and performer Valentina Tóth’s own experiences with body image, the pressures of being a child piano prodigy, and a complex relationship with her mother, the show moves through a series of bold, grotesque female archetypes. From the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute to a vengeful bride-to-be and a tyrannical Russian piano teacher, each character channels a rage that is both personal and political. One spark behind that fury is the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, where thousands of parents — many of them women — were falsely accused of fraud. FATAL FLOWER offers a space where female anger unfolds on stage in all its complexity.

Valentina Tóth’s journey as an artist began as a classical piano prodigy, performing publicly from the age of 12 across Europe and the United States. At 15, she took the stage at Carnegie Hall and signed a record deal. Despite her success, the intense pressure and expectations of the classical music world left her feeling constrained. She ultimately turned away from a career in classical music to pursue theatre.

Creator and performer Valentina Tóth said, “FATAL FLOWER lets me bring together all sides of myself as a performer; as a (classical) singer, a pianist, a composer and as an actress. The hysterical woman is a figure I deeply relate to and it’s a character I play best; I love to play grotesque characters, and I want the show to feel like a roaring, thundering liberation. One minute I’m singing Mozart’s ‘Queen of the Night’, the next I’m a furious bride-to-be on her hen do, or my strict old Russian piano teacher. I show a thousand faces — and in doing so, I show my own. And I believe it’s time for her to take the stage and reclaim her space.”

Valentina Tóth is an acclaimed actress, singer, theatre maker, and songwriter who has worked across the Netherlands and Flanders with companies like De Toneelschuur, Het Houten Huis, Theater Antigone, and Groots en Meeslepend. In 2022, she won the Amsterdam Cabaret Festival, receiving both the jury (AKF Wim Sonneveld Prize) and audience awards. She was named Comedy Talent of 2023 by De Volkskrant. Valentina’s work lives at the intersection of theatre, classical music, comedy, cabaret, and opera.

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