A critic has said Amanda Knox's Edinburgh Fringe show missed the mark, focusing more on her own prison ordeal than on honouring the memory of her murdered friend Meredith Kercher.
Unease at the Performance
Waiting for Knox to take the stage was uncomfortable. The audience filed into a small room with rows of stacking chairs as jolly fairground tunes played. A man nearby swigged beer from a plastic cup.
Knox, an innocent woman, spent four years in prison for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher before an Italian Supreme Court judge found her and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito not guilty following a 2015 appeal.
Trivialising Violence?
As Knox appeared dressed like a children's entertainer and revelled in the crowd's applause, the critic felt uneasy. Meredith's sister Stephanie had said she feared the show would trivialise violence against women, while Knox said it would honour her friend's memory.
The critic felt Stephanie's concerns were justified. Knox made constant quips about the case, from describing the set as "a crime scene" to likening her time in jail to the children's film Chicken Run. She also sang "Let It Go" from Frozen, seemingly referencing those convinced of her guilt.
Focus on Her Own Pain
Knox did pay tribute to Meredith, describing her as "sensible" and someone who "did everything right." She spoke fondly of baking cookies together and thrift shopping.
However, the critic thought Knox focused more on her own prison suffering than on losing her close friend. Fighting back tears, she said: "I wasn't just sentenced to prison – I was sentenced to infertility. I would never get to be a mum." She added: "While other girls in their mid 20s were going out to Karaoke or to go clubbing..I was preparing for an extradition battle."
The critic noted these feelings are valid but questioned whether more thought should be given to Meredith, who will never again experience such simple joys. The balance felt off.
This was an opportunity for Knox to prove her haters wrong, but unfortunately, the critic believes it missed the mark.
