Mark Ludmon reviews Molly Taylor's Extinguished Things at Summerhall at Edinburgh Fringe
Extinguished Things Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe
Three stars
"Death is our friend precisely because it brings us into absolute and passionate presence with all that is here, that is natural, that is love," the poet Rilke wrote, contemplating how befriending our mortality can help us feel more alive. In new solo show Extinguished Things, directionless 35-year-old Molly finds out what it means to be alive through the story of a couple in their 60s who lived down the road from her family home in Liverpool.
Returning to her parents' home after 17 years following the break-up of a relationship, Molly uses a set of long-forgotten spare keys to make a temporary escape to the empty house of Evie and Alton who have been family friends and neighbours since she was a child. Believing them to be on holiday, she enjoys the pristine stillness of their home and noses around the house she has not been to for years, learning only later that they have been killed in a coach crash.
Writer and performer Molly Taylor takes us through the ups and downs of Evie and Alton's 35 years together, inspired by different objects around the house, from letters and football scarves to matched socks and a vintage sugar dispenser. With Evie being white and Alton mixed race, the story touches on the impact of the 1981 race riots in Toxteth, but otherwise these are ordinary lives that will one day be forgotten after the contents of the house are broken up. Full of touching observations, Extinguished Things is a simple, lyrical meditation on what it means to be alive.
Running to 26 August 2018
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Mark Ludmon has been a journalist for over 20 years, specialising in writing about theatre and the arts as well as bars, pubs and drink. He has been on the theatre judging panel for London’s Olivier Awards and has a masters degree in English literature, specialising in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He has an MA in theatre research, criticism and dramaturgy from the University of London’s Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. You can find him tweeting about theatre as @MarkLudmon and writing about theatre at markludmon.com.
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