The Agitated Acupuncturist Returns To Find It is utterly bizarre. Returning to the Fringe for her third year, protagonist and creator Olivia Rhee brings a show that tries to discern the matters of the heart through her earnest narration and original musical numbers. Whilst, on paper, that may not seem like so strikingly strange a concept, the stark reality of the delivery and music is unlike anything else on offer at the Fringe.
The show begins with Olivia curled up in a chair on stage, sleeping peacefully when she suffers a heart attack. Her guardian angel, also played by Olivia, then appears and dictates that if she takes better care of her heart, nourishing it with love and kindness and attempting to find the elusive ‘it’ the title hints at, she will be allowed to live.
Her search for ‘it’ dominates the remainder of the show, and sees her relocate to Scotland from Las Vegas; an encounter with her psychic and even consulting a book called ‘Fix It’. Rhee herself is charming and endearing a figure, but the plot is borrowed from a bad rom-com and the delivery feels a lot like you’re on the receiving end of an unconvincing self-help lecture.
Equally, there often seemed to be no obvious reason for her breaking into song, she would frequently be mid-monologue and then she’d pause and then the music would trickle over the speakers. The musical segments largely comprised of original creations, but were occasionally substituted for Olivia’s take on a classic, the two most memorable being Elvis’ ‘Fever’, and ‘I Can See Clearly Now the Rain Has Gone’, with which she closed the show. Her voice had a really gorgeous tone, and the sections where she stayed within her voice’s natural range were really compelling and impressive; however there were occasional problems with her pitching, and her higher register was decidedly more shaky.
Altogether an unapologetically strange, and even more strangely heart-warming glimpse into the life of Olivia Rhee.
