A wild and beautiful ride filled with intrigue, mistaken identities, mischief and fragility that might have you questioning your own integrity…
‘ ★★★★ juicy bite out of the hand that feeds’ (The Wee Review)
Utterly compelling’ (Lyn Gardner, Stagedoor)
‘One to watch’ (A Younger Theatre)
★★★★ (Breaking the Fourth Wall)
★★★★ (Plays to See)
Hands up who's bored of white people making sentimental autobiographical solo shows that use direct address, spoken-word, and gritty clichéd accounts of other people's struggles for the entertainment of the middle classes.
... Whoops.
Armed with pick n mix, politics and UK Garage, Holly Beasley-Garrigan wants to talk about the fetishisation of the feral female. OPAL FRUITS is about class, nostalgia and five generations of women from one council estate in South London. An anarchic reimagining of the self-congratulatory solo show and a wry interrogation of faux-working-class cultural trends.
Photo credit: Jai Bellchambers
OPAL FRUITS is Holly's debut solo show. It’s just undergone significant redevelopment with a new and expanded creative team. The show explores what it means to be an artist who grew up in poverty... to have a stake in two worlds but to feel as though you don't really fit into either.
In 1998 Opal Fruits changed their name to – we don’t say that name here. It was all downhill.
Photo credit: Jai Bellchambers
Click here to read the full review by The Wee Review
Supported by: Arts Council England, Bristol Old Vic Ferment, Knowle West Media Centre, Streatham Space Project.
Photo credit: Ella Chedburn
Performance Info:
Dates: 13th September 2022 & 14th September 2022
Times: Start 7.30pm | End 8.30pm
Age Guidance: 16+
Duration: 1 hour, no interval
Specific Content: This show explores autobiographical trauma in relation to growing up in poverty. Content includes strong language, descriptions of violence and death, partial nudity, references to alcohol and drug use, drinking alcohol on stage, references to bereavement/grief.
Please e-mail us ahead of the show to ensure we are aware of and can facilitate any access needs.