Review by Katie Shaw
Cesca Echlin’s debut one-woman show is an entertaining, fast-paced, emotionally unhinged monologue delivered in three parts, that delves into the obsessive mind of our narrator, played by the exceptionally talented Abby McCann. Echlin’s writing is deeply poetic and earnestly crafted, peppered with charm and wit, making for an equal-parts warm-hearted, embarrassingly relatable, and amusing performance.
With only a microphone, spotlight and stall on the small stage, McCann needs nothing more – her talent shines and her performance is energising and captivating. Using the microphone to embody the men that our narrator encounters emphasises the hilarity of the encounters. Echlin’s writing and McCann’s impersonations perfectly capture the stereotypes cast upon these men: the rah student, the arsehole academic, and that one guy called Liam.
The first guy she encounters is a university tutor, an academic with a ‘tendency to annihilate’ in his one-on-one interactions with students. Deciding that he is an awful man, she ponders why the public loves him so much, but in doing so, transfixes on his cruel tendencies. She longs to be the only one that he is rude to and develops an erotic obsession with him. The obsessive nature of her desires continues onto the second man. She chats to various men on a dating app, and for those of us who have tried dating apps, it is painfully relatable. There is the one who bails on a date, the one who is in a polyamorous relationship looking for casual fun, the one who sends overly sexual messages before even saying hello, and the older man who teases her with the prospect of sex.
After convincing herself and her friends that she is having sex in the next 24 hours, her hopes and dreams come crashing down after sending him a selfie whilst intoxicated at a friend’s party. His response? To unmatch her. While upset at this, McCann reminds herself to ‘try not to masturbate about this guy unmatching you’, but does so anyway. While he couldn’t provide her pleasure in person, his rejection only fuels her obsession, giving her satisfaction through masturbation regardless.
The third and final guy is one from school she has a crush on. They dance and chat at a nightclub and she is animated, while he… watches. He eventually rejects her, telling her about a girl he’s been seeing, yet our unhinged heroine feels no rejection. She convinces herself that if other people see the connection that, in her eyes, they so clearly have, it will eventually manifest itself, lingering on trivial details despite nothing physical ever happening between them.
McCann gave an entertaining, honest performance in confronting the scars that strangers can leave us with, driven by Echlin’s effective direction and narrative. If you find yourself wanting a laugh over the absurdity of girlhood or obsessive overthinking, Looking For Giants is certainly one to watch.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (Very Good)
Looking for Giants is at King’s Head Theatre, London, until 26 January 2025
