If you didn’t know, Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy is now known as Fabricated and Induced illness. It’s a rare form of behaviour where parents or caregivers imagine, or actually induce, illness in their children. Returning to Edinburgh Fringe with another superb piece of new writing is Max Dickins, with Love Them To Death, playing at Underbelly Cowgate this Edinburgh Fringe.
In this tense two-hander, which is inspired by real events, Gemma battles with school attendance officer, Kelly about her son’s multiple medical problems. But it’s almost immediately apparent that not all is as it seems; as Gemma reads out Daniel’s medical history from a heavy ring binder, Kelly seems more interested in hitting attendance targets.
Kelly might be overworked, but she can see that the bright, energetic boy in the playground doesn’t match up to the picture being painted by Gemma. But Gemma has the upper hand, she’s a trained nurse after all, and is well liked by the school staff and other parents, but crucially has a secret weapon up her sleeve – an email account.
As Gemma escalates her concerns to those in positions of power, Kelly’s viewpoint seems more like a form of bullying than genuine concern for the child. Here’s where Max Dickins has really pulled it out of the bag, it’s really difficult to know who to believe, and the tension in the room is palpable.
Love Them To Death, directed by Hannah Eidinow, alternates between monologues delivered directly to the audience, and dialogue between Kelly and Gemma, every scene reveals something new in this riveting drama. Superb performances from Claire-Louise Cordwell and Helena Antoniou give us the measure of both Gemma and Kelly, and help us to finally find our allegiance.
Love Them To Death is superbly written and beautifully performed, it keeps its audience on their toes from start to finish and makes us question who to believe and when to believe to them, an absolute must-see.
