If we somehow haven’t figured it out from the title or Ishan Vivekanantham’s beautiful set design, this is the Fringe Funeral for Jack Francis West’s mother.
What then proceeds is a tornado of emotions that never dips in energy for even a moment. On top of having a beautiful voice, Francis West is quite possibly the most charming man I’ve ever met, with razor sharp timing both when on and off-script. His energy is inescapable and his stage presence is enviable; everyone is listening and groaning and exclaiming at his jokes that feel inappropriate but are closer to the truth than any other media I’ve seen discuss grief. It’s clear ‘Dead Mum’ is written from the true day to day of living with it and through it and doesn’t give us the comfortability of trope.
Grief is awkward and weird, and ‘Dead Mum’ explores it in such a clean yet nuanced way. We learn the entanglements of shitty ex partners that got to be there for final moments, shitting your pants right before the funeral, and the incomparable pain to everyone grieving AVICII around you when your literal mum died.
Oh my god rip 😛
Every element is curated to make Francis West shine. The lighting is a comedic thread in its own right and the band musical directed by Riley Richardson banters with their notes and cords when gifted only a sliver of silence. The music is cleanly composed where no song felt rushed or out of character for the show. The ‘Dead Mum’ is subtly but impeccably well structured, it knows when we could be drawn into a heartbreaking anecdote and when we needed a joke.
‘Dead Mum’ is not one to miss at the Fringe Festival, its delightful as it is tearful. I know I’ll be thinking about this show for a long time.
