Currently at Camden Fringe before heading up to Edinburgh, Black Velvet is a dark comedy by Christina Knight, who also co-stars in this two-hander.
Llew (Charles Ison) is visiting the grave of his mother, who died in 2019. He plans to spend the night chatting to her quietly, but that plan is scuppered by the entrance of troubled Aoife (Knight).
Black Velvet is about grie9f and the shared experience of losing a mother. It’s a topic that has potential, and some moments show Knight’s maturity as a writer.
However, it is a little bit shouty at times, which leads to some nuances in the text being lost, and I didn’t quite believe in either character. Aoife, at 17, is a typical angsty teen, but I was surprised when Llew is revealed to be just a few years older.
I liked the idea of the two bonding over a cat, and in the stifling heat of the Old Red Lion Theatre, I felt some sympathy for Knight as Aoife wears a long-sleeved black velvet dress throughout.
To explore more of the plot here would be to reveal too many spoilers – suffice to say that Llew’s back story doesn’t really need any additional complication, and I was somewhat wrongfooted by why Aoife is in the graveyard
Eamon O’Flynn directs Black Velvet and utilises the black box setting for added tension and drama. With a couple of gravestones, a bench, and some black bags setting the scene, fresh flowers and a real Mcdonald meal add to the realism.
I enjoyed both performances, with Ison more grounded and peaceful than Knight’s fiery youngster raging against her own life.
Blackly comic and quirky, Black Velvet shows a lot of promise and delivers the occasional shock.
***.5
https://camdenfringe.com/events/black-velvet/ (to 4 Aug)
Edinburgh Fringe:
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/black-velvet (20-24 Aug)
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