On entering there's a hypnotic, soothing voice from a monitor, and dreamy, new-age music, as though in preparation for hypnosis. The theatre is made over in the style of a classroom, with clipboards and charts, and Rosie Wilby enters wearing a benevolent smile, a white lab coat and some laboratory goggles. Her stage demeanour and her naughty schoolmistress delivery hint at something more under the geeky exterior and, sure enough, she soon whips open her lab coat to reveal that she's wearing nothing but a bikini underneath. She's out to show that science can be sexy and fun.

Is it a science lesson or comedy? It's a kind of science lesson that spoofs the topic with affection and knowledge. Rosie Wilby has clearly done her neuro-science homework. As the title suggests, she has taken the human memory as her theme. The show goes on a ride through Greek mythological memory games; her experience of meeting the UK memory champion and explaining why his obsessive expertise might be the reason he's still single; and plenty of revelatory and surreal asides about her experiences with ex-partners and her own drunken antics. Her personal anecdotes are witty, warm and just a little bit kinky. Audience participation in the form of the re-enactment of a crime scene adds to an inclusive and intimate feel. A memory-eraser pill is offered at the end of the show for anyone who's unlikely not to have enjoyed the show.

Rosie Wilby explains that when she last did a solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe two years previously, her late mother was the butt of many of her jokes. I am Nesia is an attempt to redress that balance, as her mother had always wanted her to be a scientist. It's a funny, charming and sometimes informative show.

Cast Credits: Performer - Rosie Wilby.

Company Credits: Writer / Director - Rosie Wilby. Technical Operator - uncredited. Producer / Company - Rosie Wilby.

END

(c) Ruth Morris 2008

reviewed Wednesday 13 August 2008 / Sweet Teviot Place, Edinburgh

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com