What a great addition to the FRINGE WORLD oeuvre!

La CalciAttrice is the life story to date of Lucia Mallardi from the Abruzzo region of Italy, who has created a lovely niche for herself combining her lifelong loves of soccer and acting.

Lucia is an excellent mimic, a skill which has got her into trouble at various stages of her journey – at school, with soccer clubs, in business – but on stage, the mimicry adds an exuberant comic edge to her performance.

It’s very impressive the way Lucia switches between the five (!) languages she speaks, and she has a lot of fun with some swiftly delivered words in her native tongue - her tone and physical expressions clearly conveying her meaning.

Accompanying her on stage, of course, is the soccer ball. Her sublime juggling skills and close control punctuate the anecdotes and illustrate the on-field action from the soccer elements of her story. (I would hazard a guess that she was almost certainly a high-energy attacking midfielder in her playing days). And I loved Lucia’s hat – a wonderful expression of her bohemianism!

Lucia excels both as writer and performer, making her audience feel for her as she navigates the adversity and inevitable setbacks that have beset her in her quest for the life of a soccer player and actress. Her resilience and positivity shine through, and she comes out smiling, as does her audience.

There are tenderly delivered poignant moments, but Lucia’s essential message is uplifting – believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, aspire to make the world a better place.