Words: Fiona McDonald 
Image: Steve Ullathorne 

4 stars

24 years later, Alison Larkin returns to the Fringe this season with her powerful one-woman show that explores the real human experience of grief, identity, loving, and the journey of re-building your life after losing the person you love.

Larkin is an outstanding storyteller – she weaves her way through her life story, performing her own songs and accompanied by a composer. Alison begins with her early life and adoption, before she moves from the UK to the US where she first meets her birth mother. We hear about her marriage with an older man, and her children. It is in her 50s that Alison meets her true love: a climate scientist, Bhima, who later in the story passes away. 

I remained completely engrossed in Alison throughout – her search for love, her difficulties being vulnerable, and the true love she found when she decided to not be the first to walk away. But it is, of course, a comedy as well as a show exploring grief, and Larkin’s use of humour is subtle and cleverly placed; she finds the right balance between telling a really quite sad, hard-hitting story and embedding just enough humour.

Larkin’s show is heart-warming, uplifting, and leaves audience members both with a tear in their eye (including myself), and in awe of Larkin’s story and perseverance. The show ends with her final song, and the overarching message of making the most of the time you have, as well as the power of our connections with others.

Alison Larkin: Grief…A Comedy
Assembly George Square, Studio 2 
14:10
Aug 15-18, 20-25