Fresh from a critically acclaimed run at
the Adelaide Fringe last month, the one-woman piece Bitch Boxer is back in the
UK. Holly Augustine returns as talented boxer Chloe – a 21-year-old from Leytonstone,
who’s been fighting all her life and isn’t going to stop now.
Set in early 2012, Chloe lives a stone’s
throw from the Olympic park and excitement is mounting in her boxing gym when
it’s revealed that for the first time ever, female boxers will be able to
compete in the Olympic Games. Chloe is determined to take part. And with her
dad and trainer at her side, surely nothing can stop her?
Except it can. When her dad suddenly dies,
Chloe is left fighting through her grief to keep pushing for her place in the
Olympics – the biggest match of her life: her new dream.
Set against a backdrop of cherry sambuca
and boyfriend woes, Bitch Boxer is an extraordinary tale of how any angry young
woman from north London is unable to stop fighting – whether in the ring, in
the home or anywhere else.
Director Bryony Shanahan makes sure
Augustine is in every inch of the chalked out boxing ring set for every minute
of the performance. And the rivulets of sweat pouring down Augustine’s face are
testament to the amount of physical energy she is putting into this. Augustine
barely keeps still, whether jabbing, ducking or dancing, she’s seeping out energy
and passion during the hour-long show – all the while delivering Charlotte
Josephine’s high-tempo script without a flaw in sight.
Bitch Boxer is a time-honoured coming of
age tale, but more than that, it is also an important story about the way women’s
place in society is changing. In 2012, women were able to box in the Olympics
for the first time… and that’s a huge step forwards for women to be seen as
equal to men.
Bitch Boxer is Augustine’s professional
debut, and through this performance she shows us that like Chloe, she’s
fighting for the things she loves.
No comments:
Post a Comment