Review: Fracture

Fracture hoisted itself above criticism in two ways. One, the whole thing was an unshrinking display of vulnerability. By the end the audience is intimately aware of the high degree to which the artist, Alice Marsh, finds it challenging to properly cope with life. And given that this show—and this form of art—appears to be one of her methods for coping, it feels dangerous to judge it as entertainment. The other reason I’m finding Fracture hard to review is because… innovation. Alice Marsh is clearly doing something different here. What that thing is? I don’t really know. It struck me as exciting at a few points in the show, but I’m not really sure anymore. I entered curious and felt, for sometime, charmed, warmly embraced and hopeful. But, similar to an erratic relationship with what Alice would describe as a “feminist fuckboi”, things went South. I left feeling confused, empty and rejected. I can’t really tell you what happened because the shape of this show is unique to the point of being spoilable. What did it offer? Food for thought. What did it lack? Leadership. I was promised entry to the artist’s heart, and safety therein. These were big claims and I don’t feel I was granted either. I’ll be curious to see what Alice produces when she is ready—she is clearly sharp, probing and talented—but unfortunately I did not love being part of her creative process. Maybe I’m too tired from coping with life myself to really relish chaos-art about just that. 

mindshare will be posting reviews of shows with mental health themes on our blog and social media channels throughout Adelaide Fringe. Stay tuned for more reflections from contributors living with mental health challenges and/or working in the sector.