Emily Weitzman really loves furniture and boys, and in this surreal hour she explains why they might not be so different after all…
Charli XCX’s hit Boys kicks things off in playful style, as Emily reads a poem about a sofa she’s in love with- the argumentative Evander, who only responds in hisses. From there we embark on a pun-filled journey through reticent chests of drawers (‘he wouldn’t open up’), secretive grandfather clocks and what makes them ‘tick’, picture stands she met on ‘Hinge’ and so on, with an array of props seemingly looted from the charity shop. The miniature dolls house sofas standing in for her current partner were particularly adorable!
We see footage of Emily swimming with her furniture, performing the poetry that baffled ex-boyfriends, and talking to a furniture maker at a retreat. This helps to reinforce her personal journey, and ground the more bizarre elements of the show in reality.
It’s an odd experience, being asked to sympathise with a broken chair Emily couldn’t bear to throw out and imagine how furniture would reproduce (adorably, it turns out). But at its heart, there’s a serious message: being able to bare your innermost to a partner, and the knowledge that while people pass on, objects persist, even if- like some people- they’re a little frayed around the edges and in need of repair.
Furniture Boys was a great surprise on the last Fringe day- a show with real depth amid the craziness.
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