REVIEW: DADDY ISSUES Camden Fringe at Rosemary Branch Theatre 13, 14, 21 & 25 August

 ‘An uncomplicated, impersonal insight into the effects of domestic abuse.’

Felicitas Kid (producer) and Chris Falcon (writer and performer) bring ‘Daddy Issues’ to the Camden Fringe, a deeply emotional play about how children perceive abuse and carry it with them into adulthood. This particular example follows Annie (Chris Falcon) as, at her lowest point, she recounts memories of neglect and abuse from her eponymous father and why, despite this heartbreaking tale, she still depends on his love. It’s an important narrative to be told and I truly commend the writers for not holding back in conveying how low Annie has sunk. After all, having the bravery to broach the topic of depression encourages conversations from others about their own experiences. The narrative felt truly personal so that an audience felt that they were granted an insight into the naked truth of recovering from abuse. This was aided by the misery of Annie being shockingly palpable in a way that many productions would shy away from. Once again, I commend the writing team for so brazenly discussing a topic that many are afraid to even touch.

I do wish, however, that Annie had been given a personality that grew beyond ‘abused victim’ in order for us to connect with her a little more. After all, it’s easy to feel sorry for a character you know, it’s heartbreaking to watch a character you love be treated so terribly. Instead, Daddy Issues spends far too much of its run time focusing on how Annie’s relationship with her father deteriorated so terribly. While this is a salient aspect of abuse to explore, more important to this production is the process of recovery for Annie. Unfortunately, we are instead granted roughly ten minutes of her ‘deciding’ to get better and join therapy after a rather limp conversation with her younger self. I can’t help but feel that there could have been a more engaging, more useful conversation regarding how Annie used her passions, friendships and sense of self to help rise above her past experiences. These things not being present in the play, however, meant that her moment of catharsis felt rather force-fed.

Overall, I commend Kid and Falcon for delivering such an important narrative into what is otherwise, a theatrical festival aimed at lighthearted levity. I would, going forward, encourage them to use Falcon’s indisputable acting chops to make it known that stories of domestic abuse are not a play-by-play narrative. Rather, they are painfully individualistic and take years to recover from (but it is possible!).

Writer and performer: Chris Falcon 

Producer Felicitas Kid

Box Office Link: https://camdenfringe.com/events/daddy-issues/