The Death of Molly Miller - Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK)
Reviewed by Justin Clarke
Underbelly, Cowgate - Big Belly
18:30 - Aug 17-27
1 hour
Suitability: 14+ (Guideline)
Country: United Kingdom - England
Group: Wound Up Theatre
Warnings and additional info: Contains distressing or potentially triggering themes, Scenes of violence
3 STARS
- The Death of Molly Miller will attract audiences who are keen on exploring the conversation of wealth divide when it comes to influencers and social media -
In a world of influencers and pseudo celebrities, there’s much conversation to be had about the influences of wealth and division of class in today’s society. When a poor man’s thief attempts to steal from a rich influencer, these conversations are brought to the forefront in Matthew Greenhough’s The Death of Molly Miller.
Tommy is a burglar pushed to his limits to rob from influencer Molly Miller to recover money for debts he owes. When Molly returns and catches Tommy in the act, the two become embroiled in an accidental hostage situation. As the pair talk, their shields are dropped and it could be that the two have a lot more in common than first thought.
There’s rich, snarky dialogue to be found here led with biting sarcasm by Molly’s character. The believability of the acting when Molly is first tied up gives credence to the realism of the situation, and thank god because moments like these in two-handed hostage plays can be tiresome if done poorly.
There are lengthy bouts of one-sided conversation throughout that goes into anecdotes on the rich and wealthy, but also the poor and broken. Some anecdotes from Tommy’s character run far too long and whilst you want to sympathise with him, there are times when you struggle to get past the sobbing accent and truly connect with his situation. Instead, it’s ironically the reveal of Molly’s hidden life that draws more sympathy.
The last line of the play, whilst in reality is the correct one, it ultimately undoes the rich conversation that takes place throughout, leaving the audience with the feeling that change doesn’t occur in our characters we are encouraged to connect to.
The design of the play is beautiful for the Underbelly space it is in. Under the direction of Jonny Kelly, the characters are situated within a lit up circle reminiscent of the ring light used by influencers. It gives the play the notion that we’re seeing them under a microscope but also a filter that hides who they truly are.
The Death of Molly Miller will attract audiences who are keen on exploring the conversation of wealth divide when it comes to influencers and social media. Whilst there are moments of laugh out loud humour and important ethos to be found, it ultimately doesn’t reignite the conversations it strives for.
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