Fringe Review: Pilgrim
Kate Walder leads an edifying show about the search for meaning. ★★★
The world premiere of Kate Walder’s solo show shows a perfect eye for detail and visual effects. Tiny figures flicker in candlelight and are projected onto a soft backcloth so Walder can move among them, while a suitcase contains a whole world of props, wardrobe and a series of cards to guide us on our journey. As a performer, Walder is supple, balanced and expressive, with a soft energy that invites us to fully enter her world despite noises bleeding in from the busy streets outside.
Pilgrim is essentially a quest story, exploring some of Western civilisation’s ‘foundational texts’ while following the Zen tradition of the ten ox-herding pictures. We journey through Rome, Athens and Jerusalem in search of, well, lots of things; let’s just say peace. These are big topics and this is where things come off the rails. Although Walder utilises almost everything in the clown toolbox, there’s not enough to connect the audience emotionally to the character’s journey. There’s plenty for us to look at, but not an awful lot for us to care about. That’s a shame, particularly as a dumping-by-voicemail moment right at the start of the show creates sympathy and humour which could easily be built upon. Still, Walder is an engaging performer with good instincts: less focus on what things look like and more on what things feel like will take this show to the next level.
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Pilgrim is playing at Goodwood Theatre and Studios from February 25 – March 8; reviewed at The Lab at Fool’s Paradise
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