Writer: Cassie Workman
As Cassie Workman notes in this hour-long poetic narrative of a supernatural involvement with the ghost of Kurt Cobain, it takes an artist of rare talent to create illumination out of darkness.
Cobain is placed directly alongside other creators immersed in darkness amid a particularly American sense of noir and gothic murk like Edgar Allan Poe (whose influence we can see in the driving rhythms and structure of the lengthy piece). Many other allusions and reference points accompany this both implicitly and explicitly to create a performance that’s not quite confessional, not quite narrative, not quite biography but all these at once and more.
It tracks a set of experiences Workman as a central character has when visiting key places and moments of Cobain’s life with him accompanying her in ghostly form. They time travel, converse, spectate and commentate on the experiences that formed this complex cultural figure and the halos and auras projected onto him by fans, detractors and everything in between. It’s deeply personal to Workman, who names him as her hero, and also not. She notes well the impact he has had on various worlds from music to culture in general and, importantly, those suffering mental health issues.
The exploration of this latter theme (where he gets labelled as the “patron saint of suicide”), and the descriptions of the grim world he was brought up in, beginning with the former logging town of Aberdeen, Washington State, provide the most solid parts of the performance. Using surrealist language, high fantasy and charismatic performance we’re drawn to the edge of this dangerous dark place with Workman and Cobain. It’s dark, tragic and upsetting but communicated in a way to boost understanding and consideration rather than shock – no mean feat but one Workman achieves with grace.
For an hour-long spoken-word piece about the life and influences surrounding one of modern music’s key figures, one packed to bursting with detail, fact and fantasy, it thankfully is as rich and jagged as his art without being over-the-top. No fan-driven hagiography here, but deeply felt emotion beautifully expressed.
Runs until 16 December 2023
