Beyond the cover versions

0 Victoria Falconer’s first solo show is a relaxed and entertaining

poignant attempt to make sense of personal experiences that have been alienating, troubling or absurd.

These mostly involve Falconer’s upbringing in Australia, from her Filipino mother’s distinctive culinary skills on the family farm to foraging for porn and squirming through art school parties. Her stories are supported by her remarkable musical virtuosity, ranging from keyboard loops to musical saw to a fruity kazoo/ theremin combo.

I saw the very first show, which turns out to have been a tricky one to review since Falconer plans, over the course of the Fringe, to call on audiences to help her create brand-new songs to express her experiences. When I saw Oxymoron, it was peppered with cheeky cover versions (a dash of Freddie Mercury here, Tom Waits there) that will eventually be replaced by fresh numbers.

It’s a bold move to build such uncertainty into the very structure of the show but one that feels fully suited to a project that’s more about questioning and discovery than conviction and assertion.

It will be intriguing to see what Falconer comes up with by the end of the month.

BEN WALTERS

Until 26 August. Today 6:20pm.

Two people are trying to understand their own sexuality in this two-hander by Joey Jepps, staged by a student company from University College London, UCL Runaround. Dana has dated plenty, now she’s happily single, but she wonders why – having always been heterosexual – she now feels drawn to another woman. Elliot is 16 and the product of a strict Christian background. He doesn’t want to like boys as well as girls, but he’s starting to suspect he does.

The B in the Room is “bisexual”, still much misunderstood. Dana and Elliot’s monologues interweave as they occupy the same bedroom set, worlds apart but asking similar questions about love and happiness, freedoms and prohibitions. The play is at its most dynamic when it throws realism to the winds and allows them to interact.

At times, the structure of the play feels uncertain, and it lacks a strong conclusion. However, mature, likeable performances from Miranda Evans and Miles Blanch keep us engaged, and often smiling. Their sincere search for understanding exposes the hypocrisy of others, and leaves the audience with plenty to think about. SUSAN MANSFIELD

Until 11 August. Today 9:10pm.