Your Monster

Your Monster (Caroline Lindy)

There is nothing that sends a shiver down my spine. Then those immortal words, “This is hard for me too!” It’s because, for many, it is true, but they are never the ones who burden the person suffering directly with it. It’s the frenemies and ticky box signal of folks who want to say ‘I’m a good person’ when they are pretty happy to quit what, on some level, they think is your bullshit. When you’re in that space, it’s painful, traumatic and a double down on whatever you’re going through. Laura, our lead, is going through this from the start and with her, we see how she runs, fights, reconciles and loves her monster to be fully actualised, not despite her traumas but because of them.

It’s a fantastic MOM ROMCOM of self-actualisation and love. Set in the backdrop of a wonderfully Broadway itchiness that relies on musicals and charm and those notes of culture and eloquence I often envy, but delivered in a way I could feel my way inside and not be an utter imposter.

The monster, her monster, is more her superego and id, asserting her confidence and hunting at the id. The injustice and politicking she is accepted to accept unquestioningly. Even her frenemy, when confronted, seems so self-centred as a ride-or-die bitch who rides off at a whim can give enough dimension to convey enough of her monsters you can’t be disgusted. Just mostly

It’s a structure that takes in everything from Ron Perlman’s turns to musicals. It’s a powerful companion to Anna and the Apocalypse,e. But even the after-party has more hints of being pretty in pink than Recc 3.

In the Q and A, the team was on stage conveying a collective approach to the project, giving the truism to the term ‘queens fix each other’s crowns’ and the conflict and confusion around feelings and relationships. ..oh, you know. It’s not gendered. It’s not like anyone out there hasn’t had periods in their life when they are crying into a mix of m and ms and doctors in one big family bag while drinking jack daniels and rubbing the back of one head asthat’shats going to hoover the fucking floor and screaming the lyrics to ‘Cornflake girl; while rigidly determined their life if fucking over ….YOU BET YOUR LIFE IT IS…YOU BET YOUR LIFE…JUST PEEL OUT THE WATCH..ahem

It’s a great conveyance of emotion and builds to a crescendo that deserves cinematic sound. Support it and check it out as soon as you can.