Regression - Eileen Dixon

Watch carefully as a quirky young woman undergoes past life regression hypnosis in her search for meaning. A complete fan-girl obsessed with a famous doctor’s technique, she knows too much for her own good Never feeling like a lecture, the audience learns how the process works organically as we see her journey backward as a means to process the present.

This show would not work without a high level of believable acting and the two performers deliver. Jeanette Delaney brings charming energy to the young patient seeking answers. Wearing their emotions for all to see, they fill the room with ecstatic enthusiasm and self-doubt. The regression scene in particular displays a broad range of emotion and striking use of physical movement that at times is almost a dance.

Sophiko Tsabadze balances the energy as they play both receptionist and doctor with a calm lower energy. But the character differences between Tsabadze’s performances run deeper than mere wardrobe changes. Through subtle body language and tonal intonation shifts, the two characters are clearly distinct from one another.

The actors' use of the larger area of the theater as an extension of the set makes the small stage feel large. Props are deliberately chosen and a few well-placed pieces of furniture are all that are needed to fill out the locations. Sounds of airy bells and meditative tones during the regression scenes add to the illusion we're watching an actual out-of-body experience.

Top-to-bottom this is a solid production. The show is well-paced and never lags; even the set changes felt calm and deliberate. Poignant and real, “Regression” is easily one of the best dramas at Fringe this year.