‘Writing about this has been confusing,” says Elle Dillon-Reams of Meat, a solo show that details experiences with sexual assault and womanhood. Unfortunately her inner frenzy is clear: while the subject matter is rightly rage-inducing, and tragic, as a performance this hour is a jumbled collection of embryonic ideas; something teetering on the edge of a stream of consciousness.
But Dillon-Reams has a kindly presence that draws you in. When she talks directly to audience members she has the knack of gently putting them at ease. Over the course of her show she wears a pink wig and stilettos, contorts her body to become the animals suggested by volunteers, and lies roaring on the stage floor in pain. You never know what is about to come next and it’s supposed to have a shock factor and be liberating as Dillon-Reams shrieks, pulls tampons from inside her to pass around the audience, and encourages us to shout out with her to release our buried feelings.
