Crammed into one of the tiniest Fringe venues I have ever seen are three girls, in three separate scenarios. One, Ashley, a confident and breezy American, makes an idiot of herself flirting with a waiter from a fancy dating restaurant as she waits for her date to return from a prolonged bathroom trip. The second, Trina, is Irish, drinking her tea through a Kitkat straw as she sits tapping away on her laptop bemoaning the evils of social media to an online webcast. The third, of whom I did not catch a name, is English and heavily (comically) pregnant, chasing her midwife on the phone through the avalanche of NHS bureaucracy and vocally displaying her displeasure.
Though these women never interact, and show no possibility of ever meeting, each has different yet connecting experiences of modern cross country issues. From the frustrations of being left on hold listening to 'a jazz rendition of my Heart Will Go On' to the rawer, real issue of their own memories of 9/11, these women are united, however georgraphically distant they may be, through their experiences of modern society.
Such moments of togetherness, such as Ashley's complaints of male masturbation followed by Trina's musings about what her husband could be doing in the bathroom for so long, create moments of hilarity and interest. These are portrayed beautifully by the three actresses who find softness as well as humour in each of their respective roles. Despite some moments of lost concentration and the odd accent slip, these actresses should be commended for taking an interesting yet potentially rambling script and bringing it to life in such an intimate and gentle manner.
Marking the transition from humorous to poignant (for each women finds her own moment of sadness whether it be health issues or her own self bigotry) Three Cities is triumphantly relevant to any audience member who may encounter it. Gorgeously staged and cleverly entwined, 'Three Cities' is humorous, upsetting and essential viewing- go and see!
