Sometimes all you need for a Fringe show is good writing, a good performance, and a simple space to have a cup of tea and a chat. At the Tandanya Theatre, this one-woman gem of a show does just that. 

Joann Condon is a British actor, working in both film and TV for a number of years. She has developed a thick skin after living in her childhood box of “the fat one” and her creating her “actor” box. But there are so many boxes that Condon inhabits; mother, daughter, wife, friend and more. As Condon explores these ideas, a biography unfolds.

Co-written by Condon and Leonie Simmons (the other half of Alphamum Productions), the stories told throughout this piece hold humour, sentimentality, grief and recognition. The metaphor of a clean out allows Condon to move about the space, looking into and “unpacking” boxes of all shapes and sizes. Armed with these boxes, her thermos of tea and a string of anecdotes and tales she draws the audience in with a warmth and cheekiness that is always endearing.

It is a simple piece that is generally paced well. However, some moments of contemplation can appear like forgetting what is next and interrupts the pace that otherwise engages. Perhaps this explains the range for the run time (this performance was actually under 60 minutes)? When Condon is on a roll though, there are moments to run away with a thrilling story, or sit in the grief and pain felt because of a particular box and what it represents.

If you have an evening planned at Gluttony, don’t miss out on this little gem, just across the road at Tandanya. It’s well worth the detour.