Phoebe Bakker
In an exciting premise designed to catch the eyes of many Rose + Bud certainly stand out.
Set inside the mind of Rose a new student studying drama in Derry. Except when we meet her she’s in turmoil. She’s in two halves – physically. One – male presenting (Bud) to the world, her family and her friends and the other – female presenting (Rose) a side that she appears to feel more comfortable with, perhaps a truer self. The show is an exploration of those two sides coming together, coming apart and the adjustment of that. Even when I type just a brief synopsis of what the show is I feel electrified by the idea and the endless possibility of where you could go with this.
The shows selling point is the heart that’s been put within the foundation of the writing. Its best moments are the simplest. When either comes to tell us the audience how they feel about themselves or each other. There are some beautiful, heart-warming moments throughout the show, the exploration of womanhood and daughterhood is a particular standout because of the mundane nature of the scene. We see Rose express her gender identity in front of her mother and she is greeted with a shopping trip and for the pair to dress up just to watch the telly. In any other circumstance the mundaneness would be just that, but when we watch someone who is struggling within herself and the fear of being accepted this scene just becomes such a tender and real moment.
While both actors are extremely enigmatic and enjoyable to watch stand alone, and there are some great moments of chemistry between the two, there is definitely a notion of biting of more than they could chew. In addition to playing two sides of the same coin they also take on the additional characters within the story, including Rose’s mother, Rose’s friends, and Rose’s teacher. I truly think they would have benefited from having another character to play all of these side characters and have Bud and Rose as sole entities as we lost a lot of clarity within these characters and some moments lost the effectiveness by having them switch characters mid way through.
Equally this decision I think hindered their ability to explore some topics or themes to their full potential as moments felt rushed or a bit clumsily explored. I was left of an overall impression of what this show was about but without having the opportunity to explore it in the depth that was necessary for the concept they were presenting.
There is still a lot about this show that I really enjoyed. The exploration of two selves personified and interacting with each is something I haven’t seen done in regards to gender exploration and the commentary of yes becoming this new person but the old person still remaining in some aspect which has varying levels of love and hate attached to it was really interesting to watch. Both actors had great physicality and comedy reined supreme throughout. In every way you look the show is bursting with potential, with a little bit of refinement it’s going to fly.
Recommended drink: A large plastic cup of Rosé
Performances of Rose + Bud have now concluded at Dublin Fringe 2024.
Jake Mace
