Review: The Lightweight – Kelly Luck

Marky (Lindsay Taylor) was the nerd girl. The odd one out. The kid who never fit in, and found herself happiest among her fantasy novels and movies. ‘The Lightweight’ details her years becoming a young adult: her time in college, the world of work, the frustrations she found as a woman in a world that simply doesn’t value them, and her eventual finding of an outlet in the most unlikely of places.

Ms. Taylor’s portrayal is sharp and full of wit, expertly delivering Willi Carlisle’s sharp dialogue with such a natural polish and sincerity that one may be forgiven for believing Marky is real. As is par for the course with your standard Fringe production, the performance is very lightweight (it has been this reviewer’s experience that some of the most compelling Fringe shows could easily fit in a single carry-on bag with room for a change of clothes), relying on solid material to take us through. This, along with Ms Taylor’s performance, ably delivers.

A word of warning: some of the material covers an assault and aftermath that are, unfortunately, all too relatable. People with knowledge of the pain of such situations are advised to take that under consideration. There is also a lesser, but non-zero possibility, of coming out of the show wanting to go and immediately sign up for boxing lessons, but viewers so affected are advised to give it an hour or so. It tends to pass.