Belle of Amherst: Double Vision

Emily Dickinson revealed, in drama and in dance. Slowly paced but compelling viewing

Article by Ruth Christie | 19 Aug 2011

Belle of Amherst: Double Vision is a rather unusual find in the midst of a maddening Edinburgh Fringe, where shows are endlessly hurtling on and off stage everywhere. Rather than join this race, Kathleen Ann Thompson takes her time to tell the story of revered poet Emily Dickinson over the course of two shows; one drama, one dance, performed on alternate nights.

Thomson is fragile onstage, genuinely breathless at times, but this only serves to enhance the character of Dickinson as she struggles to makes sense of her gift of poetry and her gregarious but reclusive personality.

It’s perfectly possible to watch just one performance, both shows essentially recount the same tale of events in Dickinson’s life, however although Thompson is a stronger actor than dancer, it is only really upon watching both performances that a deep insight into the mind of the eccentric genius is gained.

In the drama performance of Belle of Amherst: Double Vision, Thompson monologues for over an hour. Far from being long-winded, she is riveting as she touches upon the most emotionally charged moments in Dickinson’s life. Immersed fully in the character of Emily Dickinson, Thompson is believable as an awkward young teenager and later, a pained woman.

Dancing on stage, Thompson’s Dickinson is coquettish, wild, fun. It is suddenly apparent that what we witnessed the previous night was merely the public telling of events, a sanitised version that Dickinson might have allowed herself to describe to others. However, when the story is retold, matched with the movement, it is as if Dickinson’s innermost thoughts are exposed.

Thompson says “the effect of her Dickinson’s punctuation and words becomes so much clearer once her words reach the body.” Although Thompson’s choreography is not particularly structured or technically difficult, and the contemporary choice of music at times jars with the period of the piece, what we see is freedom of expression – both Thompson’s and Dickinson’s. The wonderful words of this poetry are brought to light before us.

Belle of Amherst: Double Vision by Kathleen Ann Thompson Drama: 15 - 27 August 2011, 13.50 and 21.10 Greenside

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