Click here!

Arts:Blog

Review: NIUSIA ***

Michael Cox reviews ‘a sincere production that is done with care and sympathy’.

It is an absolute shame that the story behind NIUSIA is significant in today’s world. Beth Paterson’s one-woman show is a personal tale of discovery. As a child, she was dragged weekly by her mother to look in on her grandmother—whom she thought was mean and always resulted, in her mind, as a bad way of spending a weekend afternoon.

But why is her grandmother the way she is? And why does her mother spend so much time looking after her own mother with such devotion and care? And why are there things from the past and their Jewish culture that seem to be off limits?

NIUSIA asks excellent questions about the generations. How well do we know our grandparents? How important are our roots? Are historic events really that important to learn about in the modern world?

Perhaps NIUSIA’s biggest flaw is also its greatest asset—it has a lot of interesting material to delve through. At 55 minutes, the play feels too short. Important events are barely skimmed over, and while the characters in Paterson’s life—and Paterson herself—prove to be fascinating figures, it still feels like we barely know anyone by the end of it.

That said, it is also a sincere production that is done with care and sympathy. And while it feels like we don’t get enough to get a full appreciation, what we are given is ample to be interesting and to elicit emotional connections.

In short, NIUSIA is the type of play that is both helped and hindered by the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh—it gives it a large platform, but by necessity it is given a performance slot that isn’t generous enough to allow for the deep dive that the material warrants.

Which is a shame, because there is a lot right within the production. Paterson is an excellent storyteller and an engaging performer, and she paints terrific portraits of her family—and the world they inhibit. It is a privilege to spend an hour in her company, but she really deserves to have far more time to expand on the material—Paterson, her mother and her grandmother, and the stories they have to share, deserve that respect.

NIUSIA performs at Summerhall (Former Women’s Locker Room) at 13:20 until August 25, 2025.

Comments: 0 (Add)

To post a comment, you need to sign in or register. Forgotten password? Click here.

Find a show


Search the site


Find us on …

Find us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterFind us on YouTube