Lorelei Zarifian’s “stand-up tragedy” A Scar is Born runs a crisp half an hour and features a monologue from a play of twice the length.
Born to a jeweller and a psychiatric nurse, Zarifian’s life was both terrible and charmed, being brought up with gemstones and poetry (“the jewel of language”).
Dressed in black against a plain background, this performance is in the form of a direct address to the audience and not the camera, filmed in medium shot with excellent sound.
This is a celebration of words and communication. Performed in full at this year’s Vault Festival, Zarifian’s piece is about an audition by a misfit, punctuated with songs with her own lyrics to music composed by Benoit Menut.
Taking us from Marseille to New York, the songs are little gems of storytelling and recitative. A lovely little performance from a gifted actress.
Brief character sketches are presented with skill, without falling too much into pastiche and with a sense of colour. It makes the piece accessible with a sense of humour.
A Scar is Born has an edgy and wide-ranging feel with a real sense of the language behind it. I came away from this digital showcase wanting to see the whole thing, which I hope we have a chance to soon.
More on the show here. You can watch it now as part of the Alabama International Fringe Festival on Thornhill Theatre Space’s YouTube channel.
****