EdFringe Review – Mad Women in My Attic at PQA Venues

There isn’t a better suited place to host the story of a performer drove mad by the characters she played, than the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. You only have to look around, walk down the Royal Mile, to sense that Art and Madness are as close as ever during this festival.

‘Mad Women in my attic’ is a cabaret of musical lunacy. It’s funny, it’s serious, it’s dark. The set design brings us immediately in a dreamy Victorian Era, creating an atmosphere of horror and thrill where everything can happen. It’s a simple set, but every detail speaks volume and is surprisingly rich for a fringe performance.

Salvi’s entrance catches you off guard and is the perfect beginning for this journey into music and into a performer’s mind. I won’t give it away, but it’s like Salvi is hiding in the only place she consider safe: music, and allows herself to come out only when her audience is in, ready to listen and applaud her.

Through her skillfull performance, Salvi brings a larger then life character to life, a Norma Desmond in steam punk corset that you cannot help but love. The songs are beautiful, poignant and very wisely chosen. The selection includes Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Maury Yeston, Tom Lehrer, Heisler & Goldrich, Emily Autumn and more. Song after song, cabaret act after cabaret act we dig deep into the psychology of this woman and of the character she played, the best character an actress could play in musical theatre: the mad women.

Monica Salvi’s voice is daring, powerful and captivating. Her broad and yet refine performance is a pleasure to watch. She’s a true diva on stage, and the audience can’t help but let go of all inhibition and follow her in this lunatic journey.

‘Mad Women in my attic’ is a show full of passion. Salvi has put all herself in it, and the audience can feel it.

Venue: PQA VENUES @ Riddle’s Court (V#: 277b), 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2PGA  Space: PQA One (no stairs)