Printable CopyI AM NOT EMILY DICKINSON
Adelaide College of the ARTS
Until 12 Mar 2011

Review by Jamie Wright

Emily Dickinson was a prolific American poet, perhaps more famous for her eccentricity and reclusivebehaviour than her actual output; we are told that only ten of the nearly two thousand poems she wrotewere published in her lifetime.

This performance seems to mirror the strangeness of Emily the person, rather than demonstrate herpower as a poet – very little of Dickinson’s work is presented during the piece, which to describe asabstract would be an understatement.

Elaine Hudson, amidst screens and a jumble of cables, says very little, but reacts to sounds and video,including footage of herself relating her experiences as a performer, reading from a book that lists thenumber of times certain words were used in Dickinson’s works, and her trip to visit Dickinson’s grave.

While the set is excellent – a modern, minimalist space – and Hudson’s performance is captivating, theshow is so esoteric that it lacks a real connecting point, something with which the audience can engageand, from there, be taken on a journey.

Interesting, but just a little unsatisfying.

Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5)