Plymouth Theatre Review

Overall rating: 3

Presented in an intimate studio space with the audience seated in a semi-circle, Lady Flower by Amelia Mitchell offered a thought-provoking one-woman performance written and performed by the Mitchell herself.  Running approximately 16 minutes, the piece explored themes of sexual awakening, identity, and contemporary feminism through the format of a diary monologue. 

The performance began with the sole character seated centre stage, writing in a diary—a device later revealed to be both literal and structural, as the diary served as a framing mechanism for the monologue and aide memoire of the script. The opening atmosphere, was briefly interrupted when the performer had to adjust her camera for recording. While this technical moment slightly disrupted the tone, the performance quickly regained its momentum.

Mitchell’s script centres on the character’s recollection of losing her virginity during her first year at university, (which tended to make this piece rather subjective) using the experience as a lens to examine broader social and emotional themes. While personal and introspective, the monologue also touched on issues of agency, gender dynamics, and self-awareness in a contemporary context. As an older male, l found that there were some interesting thoughts on modern feminism and Mitchell handled all the comic moments extremely well. She demonstrated a natural ability with comic timing, and the script was punctuated by well-crafted moments of levity. l would recommend, however, that she enjoy the comedy slightly more and allow the audience time to appreciate it as well. There were times when l felt that the whole piece was taken just a little too quickly and times where the pace could have slowed down to provide space to appreciate these moments of comedy.

The audience, though small, was clearly engaged, responding positively to the character’s candid storytelling and humour throughout proving this is a promising solo performance that with a little further development and refinement could excel further – perhaps the introduction of another character could work?

Given the brevity of the piece, Lady Flower feels like a work in progress, with clear potential for further development. Expanding the narrative or introducing a second character could add further dimension and complexity, depending on the intended direction of the piece. Overall, this was a promising solo performance with real potential that tackled intimate and complex subject matter with authenticity and wit. With further refinement, Lady Flower could develop into a more layered and impactful theatrical work.