By Grace Hatchell- 2nd Act Couriers
If you’ve ever been to summer camp, you’ll know it’s all campfire songs, burnt marshmallows, and trying to outdo your mates at the talent show. The Strongest Girl in the World has all that… plus a hefty dose of heart, a sprinkle of grief, and enough humour to keep the tears from smudging your mascara
So gather round the campfire – but don’t pinch the marshmallows, I’ve got my eye on you – because I’ve got a story to tell. It’s heartfelt, it’s darkly funny, and it’s about grief… but before you run for the hills, it’s also full of childhood wonder, summer camp singalongs, and the kind of imagination that could turn a burnt sausage into a dragon.
After a sold-out run off-Broadway (fancy!), the international gang behind The Strongest Girl in the World have pitched their tent at Gilded Balloon this August. It’s the autobiographical one-woman show from playwright and performer Truly Siskind-Weiss – a love letter to her dad, who she lost when she was ten, and to the sassy, stubborn, younger self who really was “The Strongest Girl in the World.” And before you ask – no, that title isn’t about me. But between you and me, if there was an arm-wrestling contest for theatre reviewers, I’d win hands down.
Truly doesn’t remember her father in the way most people might – not really – so she’s pieced him together from the stories others have shared. In the show, she mixes those tales with poetry, campfire songs, and her own reflections to make something that’s both deeply personal and weirdly universal. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.
Switching between childhood, adolescence and adulthood, the piece skips between summer camp, home life and the family’s final holiday together. Director Ellie Jay Stevens keeps the balance just right – one minute you’re chuckling at a cheeky camp prank, the next you’ve got that lump in your throat you pretend is hay fever. And Truly brings everyone to life – friends, family, even storybook characters – in a performance that’s bursting with warmth and wit.
. It turns loss from something lonely into something shared. Co-produced by Scotland’s Dark Skies Ensemble and the US company Forgotten Ones, this little gem has already scooped an Entertainment Now WOW award and an OffFest nomination.
It’s tender, it’s funny, it’s got more heart than a Hallmark factory – and if you don’t leave wanting to give someone you love a hug, I’ll eat my marshmallow stick.
The Strongest Girl in the World | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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