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“If you’re thinking, ‘Huh?!,’ then you are correct.”
On the Greek temple at Delphi reads three maxims that come from the oracle: “Know thyself, Nothing in excess, Surety then ruin.” These popular proverbs hang on signs strung up behind Lara Ricote onstage, and she bounds back and forth among three microphones during this hour, calling for multiple blackouts to signal her transitions from one to the other. Are the microphones tied to the individual maxims? UNCLEAR! Is this all thematically tied together, or just for fun? Again, unclear.
That’s kinda Ricote’s point, though. You may only understand 65 percent of what she’s trying to accomplish onstage, or perhaps only an inkling. You may not understand the meaning of life, or of love. As Ricote ponders a relationship breakup, she’s also reminding us that as someone who’s hard of hearing, this former Best Newcomer winner at Fringe still only understands 65 percent of what the rest of us are saying.
Sometimes not knowing is not only OK, but also more fun.
As Ricote notes in her official description for this Fringe run: “My stupidest and smartest show yet (alright!).”
Lara Ricote: INKLING plays Monkey Barrel 3 during the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.
