Baby Reindeer and Fleabag team's next show is nothing I expected
I expected Francesca's next trick to embody her last name like the predecessors: something dark, twisty and uncomfortable. But Ohio, running at the Edinburgh Fringe right now, is nothing of the sort.
Toe-tapping, chest-pounding folk music is not a genre I can usually abide by. So when a hugging couple (I could sneak a glimpse of them backstage from my spot) beamed onto the stage with a guitar, I sank in my seat – worried at how a crowd in Scotland would receive a hippy-clappy American hour.
Silly me. Far from it: Ohio turned out to be a heartwarming, raw, and deeply personal story of Obie-winning indie-folk duo Shaun and Abigail Bengson, as told by them. Light-hearted release cut through any threat of a saccharine toothache like a jug of peppermint mouthwash. Phew.
Ohio tells the story of Sean's degenerative hearing loss and his journey away from God, told through song, poetry and theatre.
As his deafness progresses with the story, syllables are left off on-screen captions, and the sound of their voices blur into a microphone, imitating his ordeal in that moment.
It's one of the most powerful depictions of a disability I've ever seen on stage, putting us into his shoes without shoving trauma down out throats (as the Fringe quite likes to do these days).
While Baby Reindeer tackles a big, crazy story, Ohio is a no less honest expression – but tackles human struggles, and finds beauty and hope within and despite of them.
Through song, this duo express themselves like no one is on the receiving end: there are no rigid choruses, verses and genre conventions, but a meaningful, spine-tingling sound. One poignant moment is the duo's song for Mrs Wean, who helped Sean hear past his tinnitus as a child, told through his gravelly and beautifully strained vocals, and a genuinely brilliant melody.
Meanwhile, Abigail's voice is nothing like I've ever heard. It's a yodelling, entrancing cross between Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton and even, dare I say it, Enya. Her vocals and chants, recorded and played back during the show, are as eerie as a viking war cry and convey messages of longing, sadness and hope in a single note. More Trending
Sean's reading of his dad's final ever sermon as a pastor before his deafness took hold of him, like it will eventually do to him, made me cry. I'm left wondering when Sean's last show will be. When will be his last Neil Young or Bob Dylan listen before the little hairs that give life to his ears lay their weary heads?
But if the spirit of Ohio is genuine – which I believe it is – then I have hope that this remarkably talented couple will find beauty and meaning even when the performance is over.
Ohio will be ringing in my ears for some time.
Ohio is on at The Edinburgh Fringe at Assembly Roxy Upstairs for the rest of August at 3pm. Tickets here.
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