Pepa Duarte takes us on a journey into her past struggles with eating, body image and her relationship with her Peruvian heritage. It shows a vivid depiction of disordered eating and the comical absurdity of it all when seen from a distance. The themes of womanhood and culture continuously overlap, as she challenges traditions and reconciles with her roots. Pepa cooks and leaves the soup to stew, and we become immersed in the aroma and her story.
The set designed by Laura Arroyo is effectively minimalistic, hinting at a Peruvian kitchen with utensils dangling at the sides and a kitchen top. Michael Harpur’s lighting design highlights dramatic moments and shifts the mood between different scenes.
Duarte’s writing is balanced and truthful. The script is written in a way that feels like natural speech with spontaneous delivery. Language was used in a purposeful way, with powerful, reflections put eloquently and succinctly. These were made even more potent by the wordless movement sequences in which she transitioned between different scenes.
Pepa is charismatic and effortlessly engaging as she weaves in and out of fragments of her past, sharing them with grace and confidence. Her warm and welcoming stage presence is unlike others I have witnessed before, it felt like an old friend or family member sharing their story.
She perfectly captures the frustration and mania of disordered eating and its all-consuming nature, raising awareness of its insidious nature. With snippets of dialogue of differing voices telling her to eat or not eat or to only eat some days, Pepa dispels these opinions of others which many women have experienced.
There is a real authenticity and generosity as she imparts the audience with wisdom of the women before her as if we too belong to her family. Although this play is highly personal, women in particular would find a lot to connect to, especially those who have suffered with or are suffering with their eating. Duarte’s play shows that embracing your roots and traditional aspects of your culture doesn’t mean giving into its misogynistic elements.
Eating Myself continues until Saturday, https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/springboard-eating-myself
Reviewer: Riana Howarth
Reviewed: 19th April 2022
North west End UK Rating: ★★★★