Nova at Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★★
★★★★★ Nova | Royal Lyceum Theatre | Aug 13, 15-20, 22-27 | 5pm
A one-woman powerhouse performance of love and self-worth.
Obehi Janice is the performer to watch at the fringe in 2023. Her seductive voice compels you to listen and her incredible physicality and poise holds you in the palm of her hand as she regales you with a cavalcade of stories of love.
Janice reclaims the story of Casanova for women everywhere, feminising the idea of the male lothario and giving power to womxn to be the centre of their stories. From her obsession with period drama romcoms. to 90s R&B, there isn’t a performer who can connect to every member of the audience quite like this.
The stories told of sex and life from a female perspective are beautifully told, serving sass, sex-positivity and a gentle confessional humour. The feeling of discovery that Janice creates is revelatory and would work really well as a Black female Fleabag -tyle TV show to bring more dimensions to the usual white ‘Bridget Jones’ archetypes.
The gold and black set and costume are Vogue magazine stylish, and echo Janice’s classy performance style. The speedy pace and slick direction of the piece make it an unexpected joy to spend 70 minutes at the Lyceum Studio in the late afternoon.
Overall this refreshingly confident performance leaves you feeling alive and like you have a new BFF that you can’t wait to hear tell you another love story. Bring on the movie!
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
