I Dreamt You Differently theatre review: Tender and endearing
Explosive revelations and quiet reflections are paired with pop bangers in this impactful two-hander
In a charming makeshift venue beside Edinburgh Castle, I Dreamt You Differently is an intimate two-hander between a father who made his fortune selling beer mats and a daughter trying to make hers as a pop star. Abbey Gillett writes and stars as Mariella, with Andrew Pearson-Wright playing her father Billy in this Fringe debut from Milk + Mallet. With just two actors, a microphone, an extraordinarily large fur coat and a handful of songs, it creates an expansive world exploring grief, parenthood and the lies we tell ourselves and each other. What begins as a portrait of the music industry as a capitalist machine (designed to make its subjects slightly insane) becomes something much more tender: an endearing meditation on family, ambition and the strange ways we protect the people we love.
The songs range from silly bangers about working in Hooters to chillingly heartfelt ballads. As father and daughter pick away at each other, truths are drip fed through explosive revelations and quiet reflections. Their exchanges feel like a classic Christmas argument that starts over the sprouts and ends in a sobbing confession. Like all good arguments, some details go unexplained, with the dialogue occasionally circling the same ground for too long. But when it works, I Dreamt You Differently is mesmerising: a brave script, two talented actors and one excellent set of pipes.
I Dreamt You Differently, C Aquila, until 30 August, 4.15pm; picture: Matt Fitzpatrick.