On paper, this looked an odd coupling for the start of this year's Behaviour festival.
In fact it proved a very joined-up exploration of what it means to be your own woman in the modern world.
Bryony Kimmings's Fringe hit Credible Likeable Superstar Rolemodel combats the sexualised pop culture that encourages little girls to ape the glammed-up look, and gyrating "come-ons" thrust at them by music videos and hot-happening magazines. That she's joined on-stage by her nine-year-old niece, Taylor, makes every aspect of this intensely personal show feel like we're watching scalpels approaching raw nerves. For even as Kimmings's flair for comedy makes it impossible not to laugh at how she puts her concerns into action, there's a loving anguish in her yen to protect Taylor that is unapologetic and hugely moving.
Sister, devised and performed by siblings Amy and Rosana Cade, offers naked truths about their very different life experiences. The shaven-headed Rosana is a Glasgow-based performance artist and a lesbian. Amy, now living in Berlin, is energetically heterosexual and currently working in the sex industry. Kinship sees them strip off, perform full-on lap dances, exchange what would usually be private confidences about their sex likes and dislikes. But the real nakedness comes in the honesty of their public disclosures. As grainy footage of their toddlerhood plays on the back wall, the sisters celebrate the family ties that bind, even if their lifestyles are poles apart. Ultimately, Sister is about choices. Some - as the calm ferocity of Rosana's monologue identifies - are outwith our control. You can, however, stay true to yourself and Sister flies that flag with robust humour and unflinching integrity.
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