I’m not at all religious, but going to an Elf Lyons show is what I can imagine a religious experience feels like.
That is to say, you’ll likely walk away from this wonderful performance with your life changed for the better – even if it’s just a little.
Elf Lyons is a master of her art, delivering yet another incredibly tight and magical show. A much more innocent and beautiful follow-up to her 2024 offering, 'Raven', albeit with a little dark thrown in to balance out the light, 'Horses' is a must-see show. It had been at the top of my list since I started seeing clips of her performance at Edinburgh and my excitement levels only grew as many friends from Adelaide included it on their list of recommendations as their Fringe unfolded.
It absolutely does not disappoint and if anything, is delightful in ways that I couldn’t have ever anticipated.
Everything about this show is clever. From the moment Elf confidently declares that everything you are about to see is absolutely real – before using some smart stage craft to let you in on the truth, you know you are in safe hands – or perhaps I should say, hooves. The remainder of the show is performed entirely by a horse. The magic of theatre allows it to be so. And theatre does play a large part in this show, one which is so beautifully staged that it really lifts the bar on expectations for shows at the festival.
Treacle, the horse, under the direction of Elf, takes us on a wonderful ride through the history of horses and humans. To watch Elf embody the character of Treacle (physicality so delightful that it does feel like it is a horse performing…!) is a gift. This show is so achingly funny and if it was simply just the hilarity of it alone, it would be amazing, but it’s also so much more. It is tender, a little heartbreaking and oh so beautiful in so many ways.
Layers of brilliance make up this show and at the end, the chance to embrace your own inner child is an experience that I highly recommend taking up.
I’m not sure I can put into words how great this show is, so you’ll have to simply head along and discover the wonder for yourself.
