Is age just a number? According to Christine Thynne — possibly the oldest performer at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe — the answer is a resounding yes. In These Mechanisms, a quietly bold piece of physical theatre and performance art at Dance Base, Christine, now in her eighties, challenges perceptions of ageing, mobility, and strength.
The show begins with something deceptively simple: Christine lying face down on a narrow bench, narrating the physical and mental steps required to turn her body over and sit up. It’s a small act, yet in her hands, it’s layered with humour, tension, and tenderness. And yes, she does it — to an appreciative round of applause.
While the show is loosely rooted in dance, it’s more a meditative, mischievous exploration of motion, memory and mechanics — both bodily and structural. Ladders are unfolded, benches repositioned, buckets balanced, metres of plastic tubing uncoiled, and, most unexpectedly, a seesaw is assembled on stage.
There’s a list-song/rap section involving “boots and cats and sandals and isms”, repeated like a mantra, punctuated by the occasional unexpected “kittens!” It skirts the edge of beatboxing — or perhaps just lightly teases it. It’s one of many moments that feel as if they’re there to gently provoke thought or laughter, rather than deliver spectacle.
Christine is accompanied on stage by the calm and capable Calum, who functions as live musician, tech support, and quiet on-stage collaborator. He helps with some of the heavier tasks, such as positioning the seesaw and managing the slow siphoning of water that forms the climax of the show.
That finale is surprisingly suspenseful. Christine lies on one side of the seesaw while water containers are filled on the other. Bit by bit, the audience waits for the tipping point — the literal moment when gravity shifts, and Christine is gently lifted back to balance. Then: blackout.
So, what is These Mechanisms? Although wasn’t my favourite show, and it didn’t appear at all to 11-year-old daughter. For adult audiences, especially those interested in movement, ageing, or experimental performance, it’s a quietly inspiring and thoughtful piece.
The response from the (mostly older) audience on our visit was warm and appreciative. Christine’s courage, humour, and physical agility are genuinely impressive — as is her willingness to step onto a Fringe stage and challenge expectations.
Would I recommend it? If you’re under 12, maybe not. But if you’re interested in performance that stretches beyond traditional definitions of dance and dares to ask what the body can do — and keep doing — well into later life, then yes. Go for Christine, stay for the seesaw, and leave a little more hopeful about the possibilities of growing older.
Edinburgh with kids rating: ⭐️ (from the kids) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (from the grown-ups)
Tickets for These Mechanisms
🎟️ Venue: Dance Base, Edinburgh
🎭 Fringe Tags: Dance, Physical Theatre, Experimental, Ageing, Contemporary Performance
