If I Were Me
at Scotsman Assembly (Venue 3), Edinburgh

James Panton

Jim Haynes is an institution at the Edinburgh Festivals, and this year he presents an institutional piece of theatre.

Gay Marshall's If I Were Me is essentially a one-woman show (with an onstage pianist). There is nothing strikingly original about this work: a late-thirtysomething American actress and singer living in Paris getting nowhere fast talks us through the difficulties of being a late-thirtysomething American actress, the pitfalls of living in Paris, the culture of the French, throwing in some belting songs along the way, a few good humorous quips and comic personas, and some high kicks.

The performance is outstanding: I found myself surprisingly moved by songs which I could easily have dismissed as cliches of themselves; the script is witty and the comic timing superb. Having never previously found a piece of musical theatre worth staying awake for, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Je ne regrette rien.

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