Stationary Excess
Underbelly, Cowgate
5-29 August, 11.15
Perched on a rickety exercise bike, Jessica
Latowicki tells the story of her ex, a man who can fly, catch bullets and do
quick changes in phone boxes. He’s got really famous now, she explains, but to
her he’s still just a great guy with a few extraordinary attributes.
It’s an appealing premise and Latowicki’s flawed narrator is effective and engaging. As she recounts various aspects of his
upbringing, Latowicki cycles slowly, the click of the pedals her only accompaniment.
Every so often, however, the music starts up and her pace changes. Latowicki cycles furiously, over the course of the
performance getting dressed and made up and consuming an impressive quantity of
sparkling wine and digestive biscuits.
The problem is, however, that why she does so, or indeed why
she’s even on the exercise bike in the first place, remains a mystery. As live
art, this is an interesting piece of work. As theatre, it doesn’t quite hit the
mark.
