Molly Naylor is a storyteller and accomplished writer who has written programmes for Radio 4 before her foray into Fringe. Naylor is joined by quirky folk band The Middle Ones – a whimsical duo that provide musical accompaniment to Naylor’s story. Together, they explore the concept of love and fear through the medium of story and song.
Honestly, I had some doubts about the show to begin with. The audience were first talked through a real life Japanese experiment involving attempts to programme a robot to fall in love, before being told about Naylor’s own break-up and questions over whether love exists. However, soon enough the story began, and any doubts I had were swiftly dispelled.
Naylor has created three characters, all carefully woven together with similar but different storylines, and each exploring the twin concepts of love and fear. Each character (all played by Naylor) has solo segments in which the audience learns of their plight and can follow their journey towards an impending wedding. The narrative is created and illustrated with real care and attention to detail, and I found could relate to each of the protagonists readily, without the need to ever see any of them.
Naylor’s observations of the human condition are alarmingly astute. She captures life and captivates her crowd. I soon found I had a real interest in the story, and cared about what happened to each character.
The show’s conclusion is that while relationships are full of both fear and choices, there is also always an abundance of possibilities. The Japanese robot’s actions eventually became irrational and out of control and were thus deemed a failure, but in truth these are some of the defining features of a life in love. Naylor presents the view that it is never too late to pick yourself up and try again because – unlike a robot – nobody can decommission the human heart.
The show is uplifting, touching and often very funny – as poignant as it is unusual.
