Set in rural Quebec, The List is a one-woman play which gives the audience a window into the ostensibly simple world of a housewife who has an unhealthy obsession with lists. However it is quickly made clear that there has been a tragic death and the rest of the play sets about describing the events surrounding it.
Maureen Beattie gives an inspired performance which embraces both the sensitive and dramatic contents of the play and at times the comic mundanity of everyday life. Further adding to this excellent show is the space it is performed in. The audience sits in raised wooden seats with desks in front of them, which give the feeling that Beattie is a defendant on trial and the audience the jury of her peers. As the plot becomes darker, this feeling grows. The music and lighting are also used well: lighting changes signal the passing of time during the story while the music, though used sparingly, strikes the perfect tone and ratchets the emotion up at key moments.
Simply put, The List works. It may not be the most visually stunning show at the Fringe but that doesn’t matter because the bare, empty feeling that this simplicity brings grounds the performance. The fact that the audience can easily relate to Beattie’s character is ultimately what makes it so good.
