Created and Performed by Narie Foster
Review by Florence Carr-Jones
Summerhall- Red Lecture Theatre: Tickets
"One in a Chameleon" is an hour of storytelling about Narie Foster's journey to embracing her chameleon identity and finding freedom in it after years of searching.
As you enter the intimate Red Lecture Theatre in Summerhall, funky music plays, and a montage of chameleons is projected on the screen. Foster, wearing a large chameleon suit, emerges from the back and walks through the audience to the front. Her warm, funny, and charismatic presence immediately engages the audience as she questions the awkwardness of sitting in a theatre and whether they've done the "pre-reading" to know what the show is about.
The show begins with a segment on visibility, during which Foster sheds the first of her chameleon skins and then another. The performance feels like an interactive, slightly absurd TED Talk, enhanced by the lecture theatre setting. Foster presents vignettes from her life, using videos, photos, and even a spreadsheet detailing the 165 people she has ever dated. She incorporates these experiences with interactive audience participation games and chameleon-esque movements.
The show covers a wide range of topics, from her mixed Thai-Canadian-American heritage to her ageing parents, her engineering background, and her experience post-leaving her successful but stressful role as a Forbes Under 30 listed entrepreneur. Her experiences are honest and raw; however, occasionally, the transitions out of these poignant stories into interactive games or embodying chameleon physicality can feel abrupt and clunky. Towards the end, Foster highlights the layers of performance both on stage and in our identities, adding a thought-provoking dimension to the show that will leave the audience intellectually stimulated.
Foster's strength lies in their personable nature, which creates a sense of ease and connection with the audience. Their comedic talent, rich experiences, and relatability blend seamlessly to deliver an hour of engaging, entertaining, and uplifting content.
Review by Florence Carr-Jones (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Florence recently graduated with a degree in History from the University of Edinburgh, where her passion for theatre often took precedence over her academic studies. During her time at university, she was actively involved in many theatre societies, but her deep passion was with Theatre Paradok, the experimental theatre society, where she served as president this past year. She is the director and writer of her own company, Fools and Thieves, and will begin a Master's in Drama Directing at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School this September. Florence is particularly fascinated by interdisciplinary approaches to theatre and how the medium can evolve in the contemporary world.
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