La Nina Barro (The Clay Girl) – Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

Writer Marta Masse joined the audience at the Roxy tonight, to see her life-affirming poetry brought to life for the first time in almost ten years. It must have been an emotional reconnection with her prose and with the original all female cast on what was International Woman’s Day.

Ten years on from its first performance during the Edinburgh Free Fringe in 2014, Elizabeth Sogord, returns as La Nina (the clay girl) and Alexandra Rodes as Woman / mbira player. Relying on very minimal set and costume, or in Sogord’s case no costume at all.

From a winding sheet of clay-spattered plastic we see the clay girl squirming and wrestling and moaning, and eventually releasing herself into existence to the weirdly haunting (think ancient music box) sound of the mbira, a mini piano from Zimbabwe, played by Rodes. Sogord emerges caked in clay, matted hair, crusted eyes, completely naked but somehow clothed in the clay, trying to walk and failing, slipping and sliding and tumbling, with wide eyed innocence and fascination. It is a fully committed and intense performance which has the audience transfixed, silent.

There is an undoubted human fascination with nakedness. Here this never feels sordid or exposing. At first it almost feels like a life drawing class as Sogord poses and plays and tumbles, finding herself, childlike. When water is introduced into the mix the textures and sounds of the piece take on new and resonant meanings.

It is the fascinating nature of clay to have a number of very different states, it can shrink, dry out, crack and craze, but introduce water and it quickly becomes slick and slippery, silky and fun. Form clay into a shape, bake it in a kiln and melt glass onto its surface and you can create something solid and useable, but breakable. Is it better to stay fluid and flexible or solid but breakable? Such are the questions asked here.

We watch as the child moves to the girl to the woman, and as ideas of self-awareness, shame and what it is to be a woman are explored and exploded. Her mental and spiritual awakening is symbolised by the gradual removal of clay from her body.

Spoken and sung in original Spanish language, but with a useful accompanying booklet translation to English, this always feels experimental and difficult, but also compelling and thought provoking.

The short running time seems about right as the piece comes to its ultimate clothed conclusion.

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 8th March 2024

North West End UK Rating: