Daddy Issues – Rosemary Branch Theatre, Islington (Camden Fringe)

Writer: Chris Falcon 
Director: Anita Gander

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Difficult Watch“

2.5 / 5

Annie’s world is falling apart – she’s behind on her rent and on the verge of being evicted, even though she is working all hours across 3 jobs just to keep afloat. Her studies have fallen to the wayside, no time to revise and struggling to concentrate during her exams. She calls her father for help, but he dismisses her – their relationship not as strong as it once was when she was younger.  

As Annie (Chris Falcon) thinks back to her childhood, happy memories of Princess stories and long car rides are replaced with punishments and pain. There’s a feeling of something more being under the surface – that she scrabbles to uncover in the quest to know where her relationship deteriorated.  

Daddy Issues is naturally a difficult watch – the subject matter of abuse is sensitively broached, though the slow reveal as Annie recalls the extent of her childhood memories is both heartbreaking and uncomfortable. The short bursts of sinister music, as well as the powerful scenes including the menacing faceless figure in the shadows, add to the feeling of impending intensity, as the audience and Annie start to get to the depths of her what she can remember.  

There are multiple scenes where Annie is depicted as a child, which could be better incorporated. As it stands the breathless acting and stereotypically annoying child with repetitive incessant questions is done in quite a grating manner. It would possibly be better as a voiceover, or depicted through Falcon’s associate performer – Agie Luczak, to add some more depth and an alternative presence on stage. The robotic sounding voiceover and dialogue used for the father could also be worked on slightly to sound a little more natural, though assuming the intention was to remove the human aspect from the unseen character – then it is halfway there.  

Annie’s cathartic release of emotions is powerful as she tries her best to move on and stay strong in the absence of an acknowledgment or apology from her father, ending the show on a memorable note, with a hopeful outcome for the character who is one step closer to soothing the scars from her past.  
 
Runs Until 25^th August 2024