Common Is As Common Does: A Memoir

This is a difficult show to review because it demonstrates great creativity and skill, but also concerns a dark subject matter.

As an aside, I'm hoping the show we saw had some audio issues - either something was broken or someone had set the volume louder than the AV system could handle. I'm assuming this was a one-off and was fixed for later shows.

This show feels like you're in a honky-tonk bar. The actors wear denim and cowboy hats. Video imagery runs behind them, with scenes reminiscent of old Westerns.

The performance is a captivating blend of songs, narrative, and well-choreographed dance, employing a mix of different performance types and media to tell the story. As other reviews have noted, this is a mostly unhappy story of poverty and violence within a family. The location, while not critical to the story, was a point of interest, with the consensus leaning towards Texas/Oklahoma. Ultimately, the story focuses on one character's effort to grow into a kind man despite this background.

This play will be of interest to those interested in a creative blend of performance elements, western themes, and human growth in a dark setting. It's not for the faint-of-heart, but is the kind of thing that attracts many theatre-goers to the Fringe.

This was without doubt one of the most profound, thought-provoking and emotional performances I have ever seen. The cast was outstanding but the most stand-out of them all was The Boy (Leo Convey). His interpretation of dance and movement is beyond compare. Take tissues and prepare to be on an emotional roller coaster.