Camden Fringe 2022: Keep It Down at Hope Theatre

Emma Oldfield’s debut of Keep It Down is unexpected. The mood is set long before Oldfield even enters the scene as Daisy; It’s My Party by Lesley Gore plays in a continuous loop, entertaining the awaiting audience – it’s mocking, honest and everything this one-woman play stands for. This is just one of the many allegorical marvels of the performance: the script is full of metaphors and double entendres. One line that really strikes hard is a passing comment on disability: “Not all disabilities are visible,” Daisy says in the midst of a punchline. The statement holds a heavy weight that burdens the protagonist and any viewer who identifies with her: not all struggles are visible.

The stage set-up does the exactly the same as Gore’s song, with crisp wrappers all over the floor and junk food packaging across the walls, providing temptation both for Daisy’s character and the audience too. There’s one box that holds almost all of the play’s props – a container for Daisy’s things that also doubles as her birthday cake. While seemingly just a device to keep everything in perfect order for the performance, there’s significant meaning applied to its presence. It’s the locking away of feelings; the deep exploration of eating disorders is likened to the phenomenon of keeping everything bottled up. Keep It Down is a forceful mantra that urges Daisy not to throw up, but it’s also reflective of her tendency to put up a strong front, despite all her struggles.

The whole production is a cross between an immersive chick-lit novel and the darkest dwellings of the mind. It’s about adulthood and the feeling of being lost, swallowed up by self-hatred, fear and loneliness. The contrast between comedy and the harsh reality of eating disorders is echoed in the way certain jokes are delivered, both in the play and in everyday life; it’s easy to laugh at sarcastic comments of self-harm, but sometimes the teller spills a little bit of truth – and that’s exactly what Keep It Down confronts its audience with. Daisy looks straight into the crowd, keeping steady eye contact. It’s honest, uncomfortable, but extremely intimate. The sensation is very much like a plea for help and evokes certain realisations for anyone else who has been in her position.

Mae Trumata

Keep It Down is at Hope Theatre from 15^th August until 18^th August 2022. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.