Looking For Giants
21 January 2025
King’s Head Theatre
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Looking For Giants, currently running at the King’s Head Theatre until 26 January, is a one woman show about obsession, desire, fantasy, and the lasting marks people leave in our lives.
The monologue in three parts is narrated in the third person, a story told as an observer while delving deep into the emotional state of a young woman going through definitive phases in her life. Written by Cesca Echlin and expertly performed by Abby McCann, it’s a story of discovery and contemplation, sex and fantasy, self-control and submission. Whether it is the antagonistic university tutor who approaches teaching as a form of intellectual warfare, the dating app match who draws up elaborate fantasies that he does not act on, or the myriad of other people who impact the young woman’s life deeply while being on the periphery of her social circle. How do people leave their marks on us, impacting how we think and feel, leaving everlasting memories, without really changing our lives to a larger degree? Where is the line between wilful submission and oppression? What secrets do we share with those who only touch our lives for a very short time?
Looking For Giants delves into the psyche of the unnamed protagonist with confidence and humour, shedding light on little moments often left in the dark, voicing the thoughts that are usually kept within. The show is a fantastic exploration of how our fantasies of people that we draw up in our heads have so much more impact on us than the people they are actually based on. A wonderful little show that entertains as much as it asks us to examine our own thoughts and approaches, presented with strong narration and expert story telling, it’s a thought-provoking delight.
