Amanda Knox: Cartwheel comedy review – Making her case
Scrutinised to no end for her polarising Fringe debut, Amanda Knox’s reclamation of her story soars as an insight into injustice, but falls flat as comedy
Trauma comedies are a well-known commodity at the Fringe, but few come with the notoriety of Amanda Knox, a woman who has endured a profound level of injustice since her wrongful incarceration in 2007. Most people in the room know the story in granular detail (one or two are holding her memoir). They aren’t there to learn more about her, but presumably to pay a sort of homage to her strength. They are also seated in the most talked-about show this year. When she wanders on stage and proclaims, ‘welcome to the most controversial show at the Fringe!’, a nervous laughter ensues.
It’s one of the few laughs of the evening. Despite being positioned as an exercise in stand-up storytelling, few of her punchlines raise more than a polite titter from the crowd, and none contain the requisite wit or ingenuity to surprise or illuminate. This is a major problem for the first act, which uses jokes to propel stories of her relationships and her life as a mother.
When lame attempts at humour dissipate in the latter half, her sharp edge as a dramatic writer become apparent, and moments when she recounts the rank misogyny she’s received from the state and the media have a vividness and power. The homage she pays to Meredith Kercher is also deeply moving. As a drama of intense human interest, Cartwheel mainly succeeds. As a comedy, it does not.
Amanda Knox: Cartwheel, Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 17 August, 8.15pm.