Bombastic Declaration of Love @ Summerhall
Do you fall in love easily? Do you believe that what you have is enough? Julie Cafmeyer takes the audience on an intimate journey of questions, in a show that aims to disclose the giddy highs and bitter heartbreaks of love
Julie Cafmeyer is unafraid to bare all, as she delves into her history of rocky love affairs by sharing photos, emails, texts, and insights on how love goes wrong, and what it all means. The audience are invited to share their own thoughts and experiences as the show progresses, and there is an easy, conversational atmosphere in the room that makes us feel as if we are sitting down with an old friend for a deep chat. The unpolished, pieced-together feel of the show is both its strength and its weakness – Cafmeyer’s performance is a little disorganised, and her reflections on what it means to be a woman experiencing the emotional trauma of heterosexual relationships are not as nuanced as they could be. At times it feels like we are simply indulging a friend who can’t stop talking about their break-up. However, Cafmeyer’s openness, honesty, and willingness to be self-critical inspire warm responses from the audience, and incite us to question our own stories as well as the stories being told on the stage.
Although Bombastic Declaration of Love doesn’t quite live up to its name in terms of offering something profound and hard-hitting, it is nonetheless a sincere and creative approach to an experience as old as time itself. An hour spent in Julie Cafemeyer’s company is by no means an hour wasted.
Bombastic Declaration of Love, Summerhall, until 27 August (not 21), £10 / £8