As a smiling Spring Day walks onto the stage, the first words out of her mouth at her show Exvangelical are ‘Hello risk-takers!’ as she appreciates that hers is one of the first Fringe shows this audience has seen.
Her strength as an engaging storyteller is something to be admired
When she was thirteen years old, Day joined a religious cult and this show is the story of her life during her time there and when she left thirteen years later, something she admits that she’s never spoken about on stage before. She begins by giving us some background on her upbringing, namely her father (more of a golden retriever due to his ADHD) and her internet troll mother. There are some great gags related to her Cystic Fibrosis, including one about her destroyed dreams of becoming a WWE wrestler, and it’s clear that this is where Day is at her strongest – when she’s making us laugh at the darker things in life.
The show has some genuinely heart-breaking moments (I won’t spoil anything in this review) but as the show reached its final act, there were gasps around the room as Day bravely let us into some deeply personal moments from her life.
The structure of the set needs to be worked on a little, but this is something that will be fixed throughout the run, I’m sure. Her strength as an engaging storyteller is something to be admired, especially when appearing so vulnerable on stage and she deserves much credit for that. Spring Day has created a show that, overall, reminds the audience that the most important person to love in life is yourself.
