Giraffe at Edinburgh Fringe: solo show turns a sociopath into an unexpectedly moving character

Among the standout shows at this year's Edinburgh festival is Giraffe, a one-woman production written and performed by Abigail Weinstock, who portrays a 30-year-old woman named Eliana with markedly sociopathic traits. The review notes that building a stage character who is callous and indifferent is a risky choice for any writer-performer, yet the show manages to keep audiences engaged throughout.

The story opens as Eliana is caught secretly filming inside her neighbour's bedroom, leading to a court summons. Her instinctive reaction is not remorse but a search for ways to outmanoeuvre the legal process. She has just two weeks to gather three letters of support before a judge decides whether her temporary restraining order becomes permanent. Losing that case would also leave her homeless, since her home is too close to the person she targeted.

With no natural allies to call on — her mother long dead, her stepmother unsympathetic, her father hard to read — Eliana resorts to deception. She talks her way into a childminding job, reassuring the wary mother she means no harm, and conceals her real nature while attending a therapy group, all in an effort to appear trustworthy.

Directed by Emma Jude Harris, the production takes its character through a series of missteps before arriving at an unexpected resolution. In this semi-autobiographical piece, it emerges that Eliana understands the silent child in her care better than anyone else does, revealing her as an emotionally rich person who simply perceives the world differently rather than being genuinely heartless. The review concludes that both Eliana and the child stand out like giraffes among zebras — much like the show itself. Giraffe runs at Pleasance Courtyard until 31 August.