Look At Me Don't Look At Me @ Pleasance Dome
Look at Me Don’t Look At Me tells the story of a fierce, courageous woman, and asks questions about how we tell the stories of women from history
RashDash presents a stunning cabaret about the life and times of Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Siddal, a poet and artist who was the muse of the pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Though she is often portrayed as a pale and tragic figure, Look at Me Don’t Look At Me tells the story of a fierce, courageous woman who found herself in an obsessive and controlling relationship with a tortured artist. The show asks questions about legacy and how the stories of female historical figures are often told from a male perspective and about who actually suffers for art.
The narrative takes us through the life of Siddal (played by Abbi Greenland): her days as a model and muse for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, her toxic relationship with Rossetti (played by Becky Wilkie), trying to forge her own artistic path, issues with addiction, doomed pregnancies, and death. That all sounds pretty tragic, but while Siddal’s story does not have a happy ending, the show is full of lightness and comedy. Instead of depicting a pale and miserable woman, the production repaints her in vivid colour and song.
The setup for this two-hander is simple, with only a piano, a synth, and two microphones filling the stage. The original songs are genuinely fantastic, with Greenland’s vocal performance alternating between beautiful melodies and angry snarls. Wilkie’s accompaniment is at times comical and also gloriously understated. This allows Siddal’s story to shine because, after all, this is not a show about Rossetti. Greenland’s depiction is phenomenal and arresting. You can’t take your eyes off her as she glides around the stage and into the audience. We are captivated and drawn into the story, which packs a lot of narrative into just an hour.
At one point, Greenland sneers, “I don’t need you to like me,” to the audience. Still, it’s tough not to fall for Siddal and wonder how many other women’s stories deserve to be seen and heard in such an extraordinary way.
Look at Me Don’t Look At Me, Pleasance Dome (King Dome), until 28 Aug, 3.00pm, £12-13.50