Edinburgh Festival 2009: Beachy Head

By Robert Iles - 23rd Aug 2009

A Lapage-esc exploration of suicide and grief from theatre company Analogue.

There are stunning poetic visuals and transcendent theatricality - beautiful, haunting and often moving.

Some of the performances are a tad subdued and one never feels that Amy’s opening up about her recently deceased husband is even near earnt. And it is questionable as to whether one of the storylines about whether the documentary filmmakers will tell the wife they have caught her husband’s suicide on film should be given such attention.

There are three writers involved and it shows in the disparate clash of voices, characterisation and narrative interests; but despite these flaws in the story, there is power and catharsis in the telling.