the girl who fell in love with the moon

The Girl Who Fell in Love With the Moon is mesmerising. This multisensory collection of neo-folk tales from The Human Zoo takes a look at humanity’s obsession with the skies through storytelling, song and dance. It’s never really explained why we might be so fascinated by the stars, the company choosing to depict the events that occur as a result, rather than to explore the origins. Led by Luna (Florence O’Mahoney), a band of merry travelling artists perform their act to a – nudge nudge, wink wink – completely imaginary audience after their car breaks down in the forest. What’s the point of telling these stories? Because stories are what’s left of us when we’re gone.

In total there are five stories, each corresponding to a member of the ensemble. There’s an exciting range of performance types and genres showcased here and the company have managed to make this all coherent in their quirky universe. Elements of clowning and physical theatre are performed expertly, whilst a story performed through dance is perhaps the strongest of the collection. Throughout, there’s a wicked sense of Lemony Snicket style humour, delighting in the macabre whilst presenting a poetic and visually stunning show. Designer Lucy Read has produced a curiosity shop of a set, with trinkets and overflowing boxes utilised within the various tales.

As original songs make up part of the show, it was a bizarre decision to underpin the production with Coldplay. I suppose the intention was to firmly place The Girl Who Fell in Love With the Moon out of the ‘quaint’ box, but the pop songs jar against the aesthetic. Given that the company tell a story of a girl dismembered in space, I would have preferred an original, if kitsch, soundtrack. That said, this doesn’t affect the overall production, which is still of a high standard.

The Girl Who Fell in Love With the Moon is characterised by a tremendous level of artistry. Curious, special, and really rather lovely.

The Girl Who Fell in Love With the Moon is playing at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) until 31 August (no performance on 17). For more information, visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.