One-person shows that have both a human and a political edge are a tricky tightrope to walk, and few stories are as steeped in the politics of humanity as that of cocaine and its effect on the lives of Colombian people. Blackboard Theatre’s Stardust, which won the people’s choice award at this year’s Vault festival, manages to tell this complex story without veering into the territory of a preachy history lesson. Using a mix of animation, movement and monologue, the storytelling is beyond impressive.
Over an hour, performer Miguel Hernando Torres Umba tells us about the popularity of cocaine over the last two centuries, the coca leaf’s original healing properties, personal stories of lives affected by cartels, and the process by which cocaine has become the west’s most popular illegal drug. This sounds like a lot, and it is, but he does it with aplomb. Charismatic and energetic, Torres Umba is also a beautiful dancer, switching easily from leading coca-leaf ceremonies to stylised, funny re-enactments of what taking cocaine does to the human body.
The humour that runs through the piece means its more serious moments are a punch to the gut. Daniel Dingsdale’s sharp script – which takes us from the Colombian jungle to a gameshow set – does a lot to help him, as does Diana Garcia’s understated but slick animation.
Some moments don’t work quite as well as others. The show’s premise, that the writer has left a series of secret, as-yet-unseen notes in boxes for the performer, feels contrived, and often the audience participation causes the energy to dip. But this is a show not just about its writer or performer, or its global mix of creators, or even Colombia – it’s about all of us. Literally pulling us into the action only helps to reinforce this.
In the show’s closing moments, Torres Umba, exhausted and emotional, looks for an answer to the violence in his home country that he just doesn’t have, but asks cocaine’s casual users to think about the human cost of a weekend high. On his knees, he pleads. In our seats, we listen.
- At Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, until 27 August.
- Read all our Edinburgh festival reviews.
