Words: Haneul Lee

4 stars

It was hard to take notes for Sh!t Theatre: Or What’s Left Of Us—I often found myself
simply wanting to close my eyes and listen as Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole
sang and spoke their way through death and grief.

At its core, the show doesn’t try to be complicated, which is what makes it effective.
Given the perceptions of folk music—something Sh!t Theatre themselves poke fun at in
their critique of the genre’s ‘revival’—the show risks coming across as corny. However,
the duo’s deadpan delivery sets it apart. Certain elements—like a bowl, John
Barleycorn, and grief—are revisited throughout, grounding the performance in familiar
motifs. The show doesn’t make light of death, nor does it confront you with it. Instead,
Or What’s Left Of Us offers solace.

The experience feels like a shared dream with the audience and performers as we
watch, participate, and sing along to folk songs. The large headgear and dramatic
painted faces, perhaps familiar to regular Sh!t Theatre-goers, quickly becomes a natural
part of the show’s surreal atmosphere.

The narrative takes us through their journey of grief, folk music, and life after loss. The
pain is intensified by their voices—the raw emotion, the harmonies, and the melodies
that seem to linger long after the songs end. Yet, the pain also subsides. The show’s
essence can be summed up in one consolatory line: “Find comfort in the fact that many
others have sung it before you.”

Sh!t Theatre: Or What’s Left Of Us
Summerhall – TechCube 0
16.45
Aug 16-18, 20-25