Dear Michelle Kwan
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
‘If figure skating was easy they’d call it hockey’
As a former figure skater (ok, I quit when I was still in primary school but that’s not the point) and survivor of Skate Camp, I was naturally drawn to the subject matter of Dear Michelle Kwan, but I was not prepared for the bonkers, bedazzled spectacle that was about to unfold. If the Judy Blume-sounding title gives the impression of something sweet and reflective, this is in fact a wonderfully weird little show with a darkly comedic tone reminiscent of campy indie flicks like But I’m A Cheerleader and Teeth.
When the girls get locked in the rink overnight, Coach decides this is the perfect opportunity for INFINITE PRACTICE, resorting to ever more torturous methods of training. The plot shifts, like Mean Girls via Lord of the Flies, from the hell of bitchy friendship cliques to literal satanic rituals and murderous intent. The fantastically entertaining all-female cast includes standout performances from writer/creator Christie Spessard as the kookiest kid of the gang and a gleefully loathsome turn from the actress playing their diabolically manipulative Miss-Hannigan-meets-Mommy-Dearest coach.
Dear Michelle Kwan balances its girlish silliness with the spiralling horror hilariously and to great effect. Dear Edinburgh Fringe audiences, please go and see this!
★★ ★★.5
