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The homicide of Sheila Anderson, in 1983, offers the inspiration for Pretty Knickers’ six lady present, Salamander. Their story opens simply after the killing, with police officer, Pat, main a drop-in session for native prostitutes, with biscuits offered by well-meaning church volunteer, Joan. It’s a part of a mission to revive belief within the police and reopen communication channels. The session is attended by 4 deeply skeptical intercourse staff. Tempted maybe by Joan’s brownies, maybe by the potential for a money prize for a profitable poem, the women begin to drop in often and construct a rapport with Pat, however…
Rating
Good
A gifted ensemble use music and poetry to inform this story of intercourse staff in Edinburgh.
The homicide of Sheila Anderson, in 1983, offers the inspiration for Pretty Knickers’ six lady present, Salamander. Their story opens simply after the killing, with police officer, Pat, main a drop-in session for native prostitutes, with biscuits offered by well-meaning church volunteer, Joan. It’s a part of a mission to revive belief within the police and reopen communication channels. The session is attended by 4 deeply skeptical intercourse staff.
Tempted maybe by Joan’s brownies, maybe by the potential for a money prize for a profitable poem, the women begin to drop in often and construct a rapport with Pat, however much more with the lovably diffident Joan. Through dialog, spoken phrase and music we get to know the totally different personalities of the group, their relationships and one thing of their route into prostitution. They are drawn with a reasonably broad brush – the clown, the mom hen, the luxurious one, the quiet one – however the rapport and banter between them is properly achieved and entertaining. Their costumes, overtight corset tops, lurid mini-skirts, seasonally-inappropriate shorts, and bomber jackets appear to evoke the period and the career, or at the least the period and career as seen in Minder and The Bill. These are very sympathetic characters; defiant, caring, humorous and simply attempting to earn a residing. If something, a bit of extra shade wouldn’t damage, to make them actually plausible.
We additionally get to know Joan, who’s anxious to win over these misplaced sheep, however is as an alternative gained over by them, disarmed by their plain talking and good natures. Becky Niven performs Joan fantastically, expressing her naivety and sensitivity with comically exaggerated expressions, however she does really feel extra like a lady from the 50s than the 80s, and so as to function a counterpoint to the self-employed prostitutes, Joan and her marriage are moderately caricatured.
The actual power of the present is its music and poetry. Accompanied by Lewis Lauder’s guitar, the characters punctuate their story with singing and buzzing, and there are some actually lovely harmonies. Tiff (Mhairi McCall) sings very movingly about placing on a entrance, a persona, a pseudonym for the sport, whereas moderately much less sensitively Roxy (Niamh Kinane) recites a extremely amusing poem about her purchasers’ genitals. When they’re singing collectively you actually see the power and cohesion of this feminine ensemble.
It is difficult to imagine that in 2023 a Vaults viewers must study, as Joan does, that prostitution isn’t a contagious sin. That mentioned, it’s nonetheless the case that society treats the homicide of ‘those women’ in another way from the homicide of ‘us women’. In truth, given what we at present know in regards to the many unhealthy apples of the Met Police, the sensitivity, empathy and care proven by the Pat of 1983 appears very very like progress, in contrast with the place we are actually.
Written by: Mhairi McCall & Cal Ferguson
Directed by: Kirsty Pennycook
Produced by: Lana Pheutan
Salamander has accomplished its present run at VAULT Festival 2023. You can comply with Pretty Knickers on Twitter right here to search out out about future performances and exhibits.