A Feminist Triumph: The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness Review | Ellen Leslie

‍★★★★★

Written by Joshua King and inspired by stories from Irish nurses who worked during the second World War, The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness follows Philomena (Jasmin Glesson), a reluctant nurse and aspiring poet. During her childhood, her mother had one word to describe her: flighty. As an adult, she’s still trying to figure out what it means. Ater nagging from her mum to choose a respectable career, she eventually chooses nursing, and is drafted to the UK to help with the war effort on completion of her course.

Glesson is a gifted storyteller, keeping the audience’s attention through a mixture of funny observations of life and anecdotes about the war. She shows a range of emotions from optimism when she first moves to London, to homesickness, grief and anger at the brutality of war. She also laments that history separates people into groups they cannot escape, and that the labels we are remembered by don’t fully show who we are as a person. She will be remembered as a nurse, but not for her interest in poetry. It’s an interesting thought that’s woven throughout the performance.

The script captures not just the horrors of war, but what everyday life was like for civilians. Philomena describes the strange feeling of knowing that there’s a war on, but her day to day life remaining unchanged in the early days. As the years progress, she begins to feel everything deeper, especially hunger thanks to rationing. Her description of how life feels at the end of the war feels particularly realistic: while it’s known as Victory in Europe day, she doesn’t feel overly victorious or happy after dealing with the aftermath. She is traumatised from the war, constantly scrubbing her hands as they never feel clean, and hearing ringing in her ears. The storytelling is so vivid, it can be hard to remember that it’s not a true story.

The show is a feminist triumph, filled with strong female characters. We meet Philomena’s best friend Mary, who is full of life and surprisingly wise, and the strict but fair Matron, who takes no nonsense from anyone. Philomena herself makes many sharp and thought-provoking observations about how women are treated, questioning if male poets were called flighty, and pointing out the power imbalances in Hitler’s relationship with his younger wife.

If you have time this Fringe, you must squeeze in The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness. It’s rare to find a show that has an original concept, great writing, and brilliant execution, but isn’t overly traumatic, or in-your-face comedy. Glesson is a dream to watch, and it is a respectful and fitting tribute to the Irish nurses who worked in the Second World War.

The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness will be performed at theSpace at Surgeons Hall until 29 August as part of Edinburgh Fringe.

‍ ‍By Ellen Leslie