Ellen Carr
With a screwed-up face and the exclamation “you look like an owl”, Olivia’s friendship with neighbourhood rebel and outcast Kay begins, along with her transformation into ‘Owl’. Jon Keevy’s rich and evocative text is a classic bildungsroman; a narrative that chart’s Olivia’s arrival into a new town, new school and growth into a teenager. The contemporary classic coming-of-age narrative Angela Carter’s The Magic Toyshop sprung to mind when watching A Girl Called Owl. Not so much in style, but certainly in content. A young girl enters a new and, to her, strange place. Motherless, she is slightly at odds with the world, a lone figure who – with her outsider’s eyes – can see the truth of this place. Underlying currents of violence and sexuality ripple throughout the script, and at key moments surge up with greater force.
Briony Howitz is alone on stage, but with her ability to command facial expression and accent she is accompanied by the story’s myriad characters. A chair also accompanies her, which she uses as a position from which to tell her story and to aid transitions. Howitz leaps onto and around the prop as it becomes tree, swimming pool, mattress in “the palace” – a derelict building that is the scene for teenage forays in the smoke-filled dark. This prop/set piece generally works well, although at times I found myself wishing Howitz would stay a little stiller. The text is very full and often rattled through at quite a speed, with movement on top of this I found I often lost track of what was being said.
Superb use is made of lighting and sound both of which come into their own in transitions indicating a change in time, emotion or simply thought. Simplicity is put to good use with the show’s sparse design, allowing text and performer room to play and stand out. If only there were a little more time for both to breathe – something most likely achievable with a few cuts and tweaks to the script. That being said A Girl Called Owl makes skilful use of the power of storytelling; an art often neglected in our multimedia saturated performance times. It is a simple pleasure to watch.
A Girl Called Owl is playing at the Brighton Fringe until 20 May. For more information and tickets, see the Brighton Fringe website.