Thank You, Fuck You And I’m Sorry cabaret review: A journey through grief
Jonny Forever invites audiences to a committed if impersonal experiment in gig theatre
When they said ‘anyone can bring an idea to Fringe’, Jonny Forever’s elegiac grief ritual is exactly what they meant. Not content with recording his debut album earlier this year, he’s created a performance around it, playing the whole thing in full, armed only with a guitar, pedal and viola, and a backdrop of animation, lyrics and VHS versions of his old home videos.
You cannot accuse Forever of leaving anything in the green room. There’s a laser-focus to his energy and commitment, while his voice is both supple and versatile, moving from subtle whispers to full-out howls of pain in seconds as he sends his songs out to his lost ones. He’s made a clear choice to follow the norms of theatre rather than cabaret, observing the fourth wall throughout, which leads to a sense that he’s performing at us rather than with us. Perhaps experimenting with eye contact and connection could help build an emotional bond and move his audience through the journey. Hard to do in a wee room with a tiny first-weekend crowd, of course, but the bigger audiences will come for Forever as he continues to build his craft and tell his story.
Thank You, Fuck You And I’m Sorry, C Aurora, until 16 August, 7.50pm; picture: Facerot.