With what feels like an infinite amount of shows to view at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, settling in to a small little venue to see Dorothy Lyman’s one woman show felt like a nice, and needed, change of pace from the hustle and bustle going on outside in the Pleasance Courtyard.
‘Violet and Me’ is about Lyman’s mother, and her strenuous and often heated relationship with her. In this hour long Masterclass in storytelling, Lyman expresses what it’s like to be raised by an abusive parent while also coming to terms with such an upbringing, while acknowledging the affects this clearly has on a person in later life.
Lyman is a fantastic storyteller. Her ability to address an audience and make them feel welcome, yet completely lose themselves in her words is mind-boggling. It is clear to the audience that Lyman is a seasoned pro when it comes to being in front of an audience. The moments of acting were lovely and very welcome here too.
She starts with her Mother, the “Violet” in question. She muses over her upbringing and her time in an orphanage. Her successful career before Lyman knew her, and how the war hurried her relationship with Lyman’s father, ushering in a proposal (after 10 years). Moving on soon after to how she was always strict and angry while Lyman was young, and her tendency to look after the men in the family, including Lyman’s brother, and teaching her to do the same.
The picture painted is one of a stern, hard woman with a low tolerance for anything other than order. But as Lyman progresses through her Mother’s timeline, opting to go backwards every now and then to include purposefully excluded information that actually humanises Violet, the audience start to see a clearer picture of a human being. Trauma clearly being present in Violet’s early life, so much so that she blocked it out entirely, gives insight into the stories on display here.
Perhaps the most hard hitting line is delivered early on in this piece: “Do you think rage is passed on genetically?” Lyman’s work mainly explores this idea, and perhaps where the rage comes from. Different avenues of rage are explored too. Familial rage, professional rage, feminist rage and rage at the world in general. That being said, this is not an angry piece of work. But more a deep dive in an attempt to find answers. Lyman’s show displays how a woman with ambitions and dreams will go mad when suffocated by societal expectations of being a domesticated mother.
Some observations on what it’s like being a child back then, compared to a child now hit home unexpectedly. “Not having to worry about going to school and be snatched on the street or shot” is a line that sticks in the mind well after the show. Comparisons from then and now are sprinkled through the performance which make it relatable to a modern audience.
There are some naturally funny moments and jokes included at nice intervals, and the format of the piece being basically anecdotes for an hour is incredibly effective. It’s clear British audiences love this as shows like “The Graham Norton Show” see extreme success from this idea.
The use of simple imagery on a tv screen is appreciated by visual learners in the audience. The sound effects used are effective and added some comedy or lovely mood setting.
This piece is a lovely reflection on motherhood, being a woman, and feminism and what that meant back then and now. Coming to terms with an abusive parent and childhood trauma must be incredibly hard, but Lyman manages to find an honest assessment of why Violet was the way she was and how that shaped herself as a mother too. Lyman even managed to mention her two Emmy wins without appearing smug or pretentious, which is commendable in of itself. There were a couple of comments worded in such a way that worried me as someone of a generation where a lot of things are more acceptable now and some things are less. A rewrite in these small moments would avoid any confusion. Unless they were intended in the way they were received, in which case some things need addressed before being brought to a larger audience. Overall, this a fascinating work that should be seen by as many as possible before the run finishes.
Theatre Scotland 
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