Chrysalis
Comedy and tragedy collide in the premiere of a poignant new play about moving on. Three damaged people, Mickey, Peter and Eva share sheltered accommodation. Inside the building Mickey invents stories about his social worker Jennifer, Peter obsesses about butterflies while Eva tries to keep her trap shut and control her temper. As the plot unfolds each character reveals more about themselves and why the building has become their sanctuary from the outside world. A world they know they will eventually have to re-enter. The production also contained original live music from Carl James Bownas as Eva's dead brother Charlie. Chrysalis premiered with two preview performances on August 4th and 5th at Venue 29 Paradise in the Vault and ran until Saturday Aug 16th.
THE ORIGINAL CAST
KATTREYA SCHEURER-SMITH - Eva
CHRISTINE EASTERFIELD - Jennifer
CARL JAMES BOWNAS - Charlie
MICHAEL HUSBAND - Peter (Week 1)
ALAN HAY - Peter (Week 2)
STEPHEN SCHEURER-SMITH - Mickey
Director - Stephen Scheurer-Smith
Technical Director - Mark Easterfield
REVIEWS
AUDIENCE REVIEW
"I thought it was a lovely little piece. Superbly well acted, simply staged, effective and moving. Very much a play suited to the fringe."
THE SKINNY REVIEW
"Edinburgh Fringe Festival presents Chrysalis by Big Squirrel Productions, a sweet play that explores the lives of three people who have endure tough times but have ended up inexplicably thrown together to become 'a really weird family unit' as Mickey has labelled them. Mickey is played well by the author and director of the piece as the father figure of the trio who lives with Peter and has cared for him after the death of Peter's mother. Michael Husband is brilliant as Peter, a lovely soul with learning difficulties who is obsessed with butterflies while his friend from next door Eva, played by Kattreya Scheurer-Smith, plays the tough mouthy young girl with anger issues. Over the course of the performance these three reveal the harsh realities of their pasts and confront a new future, with the help of their social worker Jennifer, who intervenes briefly, and the ghost of Eva's brother, who provides music throughout. It is clear what Scheurer-Smith is thriving for and it is an engaging play that is genuinely moving."
If you are interested in reading this play, please do send an e-mail on the 'Contact Me' page. This work is currently unpublished.
