POWER | Strong lady Productions
I have only ever been to the circus once in my entire life. I was very young and barely remember it outside of a devastating incident involving a helium balloon and a loose grip. As such, I was not entirely sure what to expect from POWER but I was presently surprised to find that an ability to surrender actually came in handy.
Image: James Clare
The Strongest Woman Alive - Charmaine Childs’ - POWER uses circus, physical theatre, memoir, and archival audio to investigate the nature of power and what it is to truly feel strong.
My plus one and I had both found ourselves “oof”ing and “oop”ing as we saw and heard our experiences reflected back to us. But before anything got too angsty we were swept up into awe by Childs’ physical prowess going as far as to say, “I know this is legit but it looks so easy that my brain almost wants it to be fake” in response to a number of her skills. I will admit my inner bookworm did shed a tear over seeing a book being torn clean in half but the rest of me was far too impressed to listen to their whining.
Image: Sean Longmore. Cover image: Sophie Postlethwaite.
Childs herself seems like the type of person whose hugs make you feel safe. She possesses a charm that helps her win the audience over almost immediately. Childs is the perfect guide and guardian for the audience as they travel through what power, strength, vulnerability, and weakness all look and feel like to them. From hearing her story and witnessing her vulnerability I can confidently say Childs is not only a Strong Lady, she is a strong person as well
As easily as Childs could have removed me from my seat, it wasn’t necessary as her story and those of the people she interviewed were enough to move me all on their own. All-in-all POWER is a wholesome, thought provoking, wildly impressive night at the theatre that will leave you smiling the whole way home.
