Did You Eat? @ Greenside Infirmary Street
Zoë Kim's solo show Did You Eat? is a bold, direct look at growing up in a Korean-American family, delivered with warmth and dedication
The act of sharing a semi-autobiographical solo show with festival audiences is itself a bold gesture of care. It requires the performer to bare themselves to a room of strangers night after night. But after performer Zoë Kim enters the space and offers the front row snacks (in case they haven't eaten yet, or have eaten and want dessert), we're no longer strangers.
In Korean, Kim explains, asking someone "밥 먹었니?" or "Did you eat?" encompasses a vast emotional vocabulary. Kim's introduction has me somewhat worried – directly indicative gestures accompany slow, deliberate exposition in the 'We Are Doing Theatre' cadence for which solo shows are often derided. It's a lot more 'tell' than 'show'. I begin to worry whether this piece could have been an email.
But when Kim begins to incorporate a characterisation of her mother, the piece kicks into higher gear. The text is fairly bilingual – sometimes Kim translates the Korean into English, and sometimes she doesn't. The format speaks to the highly relatable experience of growing up in a Korean(-American) family. I wouldn't say that my Korean is good by any means, but Kim's delivery taps into a cultural resonance that I've grown to sorely miss while away from home. All of a sudden, I'm fluent in Konglish again. I'm laughing at inside jokes.
As the piece progresses, Kim relates a harrowing story of generational abuse. The show's emotional thesis hinges on love languages, which (though apropos in a punny, literary way) feel more like a pseudo-psychological internet trend than a point of view. To me, a thesis statement that hinges on love languages feels a bit like basing an entire show on having a Type B personality – it neither invents nor subverts. Coupled with a relentlessly direct depiction of trauma, the piece seems to reach for something and not quite find it.
Kim is a dedicated performer and a captivating storyteller. Where vulnerability alone isn't enough to carry the piece, Kim's easy manner with the audience and her command of character keep us enthralled. Her care for her audience is deeply felt and, I think, enthusiastically returned.
Did You Eat?, Greenside @ Infirmary Street (Mint Studio), until 26 Aug (until 13, 20), 7.35pm, £10-12