Amanda Knox: Cartwheel ****

“Welcome to the most controversial show at the Edinburgh Fringe..!”

And so, Amanda Knox takes to the stage, a scattering of children’s toys for company.

Her opening line acknowledges the elephant in the room. Her name is now infamous; the simple fact is that no conversation about her can take place without reference to her experiences in Italy.

The controversy surrounding this production has been amplified in recent weeks by criticism of the venue (Gilded Balloon), as well as Knox herself, for staging Cartwheel, with calls to cancel the event. This is a review of a production at Edinburgh Fringe, rather than any attempt to wade into that debate.

A brief summary of events is required for context, as they have been widely reported. In Perugia, an English student, Meredith Kercher, was attacked and murdered. Her flatmate Knox was convicted of her murder and spent four years in prison. She was eventually exonerated. The police had overlooked the DNA evidence pointing to Rudy Guede, who fled to Germany the following day. He was eventually convicted of Kercher’s killing, receiving a lesser sentence than that initially handed down to Knox.

Many people still believe Knox was guilty of the murder. As she acknowledges, she is the human equivalent of the blue/gold dress, an enduring source of radically opposing perceptions.

In Cartwheel, Knox recounts aspects of her life, predominantly dealing with events following Kercher’s murder, as well as reflections on familial struggles and relationships, especially the impact that her incarceration had upon her mother. She is disarmingly honest and manages to contain whatever anger that may lie below the surface.

But perhaps the most surprising aspect of this show is how naturally gifted a comedian she is. Knox has sharp comic timing and is an impressive storyteller. She interacts with her unseen daughter and delivers sardonic, but self-deprecating, observations, with an ease at odds with the extraordinary events of her life.

Her own identity comes under scrutiny. The easiest thing to do surely would have been to just change her name, especially after she married. But she fiercely rejects this option, insisting that it would be tantamount to an admission of guilt. Shades of John Proctor in The Crucible.

There are many deeply poignant moments in this production, but perhaps the most haunting is her recognition that at some point in her daughter's life, somebody will hurt her. Knox wrestles with the quandary of how and when to explain the events in Italy to her daughter, resigned to the knowledge that she cannot fully protect her.

Since returning to the United States, she has worked as a journalist and writer, but by striking out into the world of live performance, she seems to have found a new voice and developed a greater sense of agency. The show is, in part, an exploration of how humans can transform themselves, even when their identities have been shaped by events beyond their control.

Meredith was just 21 when she died in unimaginably awful circumstances, and her family’s lives have never been the same since.

Neither has Amanda’s.

Gilded Balloon until 17^th August.