Writer: Chiara Fumanti
Director: Andrea Guerini
Fringe season is upon us in barely a month, and two-hander fringe fare does not often get much more engaging than Chiara Fumanti’s dark and delightfully provocative mash-up of surreal comedy, semi-autobiographical introspection, and physical theatre, The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer.
Fumanti plays Eva, a PTSD-stricken 30-something single mother whose waking hours are plagued by the presence of an unwanted companion conjured from the depths of her damaged mind, Arthur (brilliantly executed by Andrea Guerini, who also directs). Part Commedia dell’Arte clown, part devil, Arthur is a manifestation of Eva’s inner pain and inability to move on from trauma: think a grotesquely sadistic combination of The Emcee from Cabaret, Mephistopheles, and Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Clad in a crimson jacket and blue-sequinned trousers, Arthur has been a nagging, self-sabotaging presence in Eva’s life since she witnessed a frightening car accident in Rome as a teenager – the grisly details are revealed in (be warned, graphic) flashbacks. He claims his role is to “deflect her anger and keep her safe”, but actually he is a malicious and provocative trickster, driving his host into ever grimmer thoughts of aggression against herself and those around her. “I blossom in darkness”, Arthur tells us proudly, which proves over the course of the evening to be something of an understatement.
Naturally, Eva wants to rid herself of her unwanted companion, but how? Events come to something of a head on a District Line train in a series of blissfully comic encounters with fellow passengers, represented by a selection of coloured balloons. “Rip her earrings out”, Arthur demands as Eva peruses a croquet-wearing cat-lover called Sharon.
The injunctions towards Tarantino-esque cartoon violence against random strangers grow ever more explicit (and gruesomely funny) as Eva’s day progresses. When Arthur’s brutal fantasies turn inwards, towards Eva herself, a line has been crossed. “Get the fuck away from me”, she cries, but ridding oneself of one’s inner demons is never quite as easy as one wishes. Anticipate a fair number of balloons popping over the 55-minute runtime.
The success of the piece relies on tremendously executed physical comedy from Guerini, whose gregarious stage presence is magnified by the intimacy of Barons Court Theatre, well-judged audience interaction, and a deeply empathetic performance from Fumanti as the troubled Eva. The writer gives her character just enough backstory to make her feel well-rounded, without burdening us with unnecessary detail that gets in the way of the dark and often macabre comedy. The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer will not appeal to those who dislike cartoon violence. Everyone else will love it.
Runs until 4 July 2026, then at the Edinburgh Fringe.
