Andrea keeps getting asked if she’s ashamed

Is she ashamed of what she did to the soldier?

Is she ashamed of what she did to the baby?

But Andrea’s not ashamed at all

And she wants to tell you why

Andrea is a young girl, abandoned first by her parents, then by her boyfriend, and then by a family she thought she belonged to. Her demeanour, her self-pity, her lambasting of you, the audience, for doubting her honesty, her integrity; all laid bare on a wave of emotion, first bewilderment, then empathy, then sympathy. By the end, this cauldron of emotion, having taken you in, will offer you back a blankness and emptiness that will have you questioning not just Andrea’s situation but every bit of the journey she has been forced to take.

Katie Bottoms is Andrea, To relate a story of that length with conviction and realism takes some doing, to do it with so much emotional outpouring and inner hurt takes a rare talent. Katie Bottoms is that talent. This play will hang you out to dry all too easily; but despite this you will be so glad you stayed, stayed to hear a remarkable tale told with passion, compassion and extraordinary realism.

http://www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk/dark-vanilla-jungle/