The Edinburgh Fringe would not be the Edinburgh Fringe without controversy. And the first cause célèbre this year is the appearance of Amanda Knox, who was convicted then acquitted of the murder of fellow student Meredith Kercher in Perugia in 2007. There have been calls for the show to be cancelled and suggestions that it is a mistake for the Fringe to give her a platform
The real mistake, however, is not that she is performing a show at the Fringe, but that the show, entitled Cartwheel, is billed as a comedy. It is in the comedy section of the programme and the press notes talk about Knox's current career in stand-up comedy. But while it is punctuated by laughs, the show is essentially a spoken word monologue. And at times a compelling and moving one.
The setting is the bedroom of Knox's four-year-old daughter, giving the piece an immediate theatrical feel. As she talks she tidies up piles of toys, after say the place is so messy it looks like a "crime scene”. This is the first of numerous wry references to the grisly events in Perugia. Later, reflecting on her own childhood, she recalls how her mother asked her to sign a contract with a crayon promising that she won’t marry before she is 30. She compares this to the statement she made to the Italian police.
Knox's story is not specifically about the murder though. It is about more about her own life before and after. She always seemed to be different and as a child wanted attention, at one point considering a career as a performer before heading off to Italy.
Since her release from prison after four years she has rebuilt her life and is married and a mother. But those traumatic events cast a long shadow. Online abuse doesn't go away quickly. While Knox paints herself as a victim here, she is self-aware enough to underline that the real victim was Kercher. She notes ruefully how the press has often overlooked Kercher in their reports, preferring to home in on 'Foxy Knoxy' - a blameless high school nickname long before the tabloids used it.
She talks, touchingly at times, about her own predicament. She is now approaching forty and there are still people who think she may have been involved in the murder that happened in her early twenties. Not because of hard evidence, but because of “vibe”. She seems to be paying the price for being different. Do innocent people do cartwheels while being held by police? She uses her platform to make things clear. It was actually the splits.
Questions remain. While she can tell her truth can she ever shake off the past? Should she have changed her name? That would be like confessing to a crime she didn't commit, she argues. But how does she explain to her daughter what happened? The piece ends on a defiant note. Knox is who she is and if she is the sort of person that does cartwheels she is allowed to do them. Even if you don't end up warming to her you can see her point.
Should she be allowed to perform?. Her appearance has been condemned by some but defended by others on the grounds of free speech. As she says onstage at one point she is like a human version of that viral blue and gold dress. Different people see different things in her and are convinced that they are right and there seems to be little she can do about it.
She is certainly entitled to tell her story, although doing it at an arts festival best known for performances that generate laughter does seem a little questionable. Perhaps if she performs it beyond the Fringe promoters should make it clear that this is a long way from stand-up comedy. A four star show, but not one that would ever fit onto Live at the Apollo.
Amanda Knox: Cartwheel is at the Gilded Balloon until August 17. Buy tickets here (it is currently sold out but more may be released).
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Picture credit: Andrew Perry
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