Looking for Giants, King’s Head Theatre review
What happens when we create our own version of the story? Looking for Giants is a play about the inner workings of our mind. Writer Cesca Echlin lifts the lid on what goes on inside our heads when we reimagine and replay the different scenarios of day-to-day life.
Looking for Giants, King’s Head Theatre. Image credit WoodForge studios.
It is a monologue in three parts told by an anonymous narrator, each the story of a young woman’s encounter with a different male figure. A scornful university lecturer whose indifference becomes arousing, an anonymous match on a dating app who blows maddeningly hot and cold with desire, and a high school crush representing unfulfilled sexual longing.
We see how each interaction shapes how she views herself, how she internalises the relationships and uses them to explore her own character, fantasies and desires. The male gaze is subverted and we are exposed to her world view, in a clever script that raises questions about subjectivity and narrative voice.
Abby McCann gives a masterful performance as the nameless lead. She embodies each of the three stories completely, with an impressive energy that’s sustained throughout without missing a beat. A standing microphone and a stool are the only props on an otherwise bare stage, emphasising the power of her imagination. The simplicity creates an intimate atmosphere that allows McCann’s evocative, flirtatious storytelling to take centre stage.
Looking for Giants, King’s Head Theatre. Image credit WoodForge studios.
The microphone is used to clever and often comic effect when McCann impersonates the three men. The university lecturer is particularly well portrayed as a disdainful and sighing disembodied voice, opining on his research and unpicking the arguments of her undergraduate dissertation.
Echlin’s script tackles the often-taboo topic of female sexuality with poetry, wit and humour. Her writing is deeply lyrical, toeing the line between fantasy and reality, but remains frank in its honest portrayal of desire. Each of the stories would stand up on its own but brought together we see a broad spectrum of female experience.
Looking for Giants is a beautifully written and relatable take on the ‘invisible marks’ that seemingly insignificant characters can leave on our lives. Echlin’s writing is refined and observant, brought powerfully to life by Abby McCann’s fearless performance.
Looking for Giants is on at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington until 26 January 2025.
Location: King's Head Theatre, Our address is 116, Upper Street, N1 1QN. Price: £10 - £25. Book now.
Review by Ellen Hodgetts
