Review: Shame On You!

Shame On You!, from Arnold and Komarov Travelling Theatre, is in many senses a quintessential Edinburgh Fringe show. Part-theatre, part-musical performance and part-group therapy session, the hour is spent confronting shame in its various forms, from light-hearted embarrassing moments through to darker experiences of abuse and conflict. 

At the centre of the performance is an archive of anonymous experiences of shame, collected by the duo in Russia, Switzerland and Pakistan. Readings of these accounts are punctuated with Russian-language songs and reminders that audience members are free to share their own experiences of shame, or to ‘veto’ accounts they find triggering. The stories are thought-provoking and confronting, though devoid of context; indeed, some of the most interesting and entertaining moments come when the performers break from reading to provide some. 

Arnold and Komarov themselves are effortlessly engaging, dealing with the variance and unpredictability of their subject matter with ease and providing a consistently reassuring presence. The Demonstration Room is an intimate setting and it is to the duo’s credit that trust is built quickly and easily, and rapport with the audience established immediately. Both the storytelling and musical elements are executed skilfully, though the link between the two isn’t made entirely clear. 

There is little structure or production to this show, other than moving between longer and shorter stories and coming to the most serious towards the end once trust has been established. While audiences could benefit from some additional context and structure, the sparse production and commanding presence of the performers does its job in leaving us confronting our own experiences of shame and questioning its function in the world.