list.co.uk/festival Festival TheatreReviews at a Glance
Almost Like a Virgin ●●●●● The problem with pretending to be someone else is that there’s always a chance the audience will want more of them and less of you. This ode to the Queen of Pop is a case in point. Madge impersonator Evelyne Brink strikes an impressive pose as she belts out some old school favourites and memorable dance routines in a show that justifies our love but never quite gets into the groove. (Anna Millar) Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 31 Aug, 7.50pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). And All the Children Cried ●●●●● This hard-hitting and heartfelt drama deals with what society considers the most transgressive act of all: the sexual abuse of children by women. Set in a women’s prison, two of the inmates confess their crimes and tell their sorry stories to one another. Provocative stuff. (Miles Fielder) Sweet Grassmarket, 0870 241 0136, until 30 Aug, 4.30pm, £9 (£8). Boy in Darkness ●●●●● Mervyn Peake’s novella set in the same world as Gormenghast is rich with possibility, so when Curious Directive offers to stage it with projection, puppetry, audience interaction and an exploding armchair, things look promising. Bafflingly, few of these feature in the production. What is visible is a lot of ambition that hasn’t found the right vehicle. (Suzanne Black) The Zoo, 662 6892, until 22 Aug, 8.45pm, £8.50–£9 (£8–£8.50). The Dandelion’s Story ●●●●● A dog drops an enormous poo. The lonely little shite is then shunned by birds, chickens and farmers until a delicate friendship is formed between her and a clod of earth, and she turns into a dandelion. This Korean variation on The Ugly Duckling with physical theatre will delight anyone, young or old, who’s ever surprised themselves with an enormous Forrest Gump. (Steve Cramer) C, Chambers Street, 0845 260 1234, until 31 Aug, 1.45pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£9.50). Don Quixote – Theatre of the Blind ●●●●● Given the constraints involved in putting on a Fringe show, blindfolding the audience and performing to their other senses seems an eminently sensible idea. How else would you stage Cervantes’ classic on a budget? Here the audio-aural experience works pretty well. And it’s not just a gimmick – remember the book is about how a madman sees the world. (Miles Fielder) Bongo Club, 557 2827, until 22 Aug, 2.05pm, £10 (£7). Fahrenheit 451 ●●●●● The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’ opens this cautionary tale set in a future envisaged by Ray Bradbury, where books are burned for fear of independent thought. The track sets the tone for a production in which performances make up for in gusto what they can lack in finesse, and while some well-executed physical theatre adds an imaginative twist it doesn’t quite salvage the piece from mediocrity. (Amy Russell) The Vault, 510 0022, until 22 Aug, 12.15pm, £9 (£7). A Fistful of Snow ●●●●● Danny Alder plays Chester James, a writer who has inexplicably ended up in Svalbard guarding the world seed bank, paralysed by the success of his first novel, and with only an inflatable moose, a pompous budgie and a hungry polar bear for company. It’s not sophisticated or slick, but there are some hilarious moments
thanks to its immensely likeable lead actor. (Laura Ennor) C Soco, 0845 260 1234, until 31 Aug, 8pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). The Funeralogues ●●●●● Set in a churchy C space, this piece by US actress and playwright Stacy Mayer is a mild- mannered wander through the mind of an obsessive. ‘Stacy’ is captivated by all aspects of the funeral business and will do anything to gatecrash a wake. Gently comic with genuine poignancy, the piece, like life, gets cut short just before she goes for the jugular. (Brian Donaldson) C cubed, 0845 260 1234, until 31 Aug, 5.30pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£7.50–£9.50). George in the Dragon’s Den ●●●●● The tale of St George is brought into the 21st century as the eponymous hero becomes an illegal Polish worker and the dragon a greedy banker. Performed entirely in verse, the spoken word dominates and confuses, while attempts at creating a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ performance fall flat. (Amy Taylor) Zoo Southside, 662 6892, until 31 Aug, 1pm, £6.50–£8 (£5). The Grind Show ●●●● ● A mix of slick physical theatre and naturalistic dialogue, The Grind Show follows wide- eyed ‘Boy’ through a surreal circus. Underworld characters, including the double-bodied Miss Von Ambourg, vie for Boy’s attention. But when he asks difficult questions – ‘Why did she stab herself?’ – the surface begins to crack. Beneath the demented bravado lie the recognisable pressures and fears of life. (Griselda Murray Brown) C Chambers Street, 0845 260 1000, until 31 Aug, 6.05pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£8.50). I Don’t Live Here Anymore ●●●●● Emma’s dying, David’s wondering how to move on. We see scenes from the beginning and end of the relationship. The audience might feel weighed down were it not for interruptions from two jocular narrators, who extrapolate subtexts and keep things poignant rather than heavy. (Lizzie Mitchell) Bedlam Theatre, 225 9893, until 22 Aug, 11.30am, £6–£7 (£4–£5). Killing Me Softly ●●●●● In this one-man verse play, we are guests at a ‘welcome-home party’ for Sylvia, complete with 80s pop and cheap decorations. Our host is chatty, evasive, and, ultimately, pitiable, but the venue is wrong for an afternoon show: the smut is enough to induce a gag-reflex in the most seasoned late-night comedy goer. (Griselda Murray Brown) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 31 Aug, 2.45pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Nightfall ●●●●● Hurtwood Theatre Company’s experimental work is a charming meditation on different forms of love. At first relying solely on mime, the impreciseness of some of the actors’ movements means a few sequences are hard to follow. But as the form progresses Nightfall reveals an occasionally startling brilliance from a promising group of performers. (Yasmin Sulaiman) Sweet ECA, 0870 241 0136, until 23 Aug, 12.05pm, £7 (£6.50). No Parole: Family is a Life Sentence ●●●●● One man show from Carlo D’Amore concerning his life and rocky relationship with his career criminal mother and her one woman crime wave from Peru to America. This true story is touching, funny, poignant, outrageous and very personal but is ultimately about love and (albeit unconventional) family values. A real gem of free theatre. (Henry Northmore) Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 477 7007, until 30 Aug (not 24), 2.15pm, free. Oh, My Green Soap Box ●●●●● Lucy Foster aims to illuminate why we haven’t yet pulled our collective finger out and saved the planet. We get sidetracked by the trials of everyday living and loving just as her proposed game-changing environmental campaign gets sidetracked by one-night stands and dressing up. Her one woman show is whimsical yet heartfelt, though more bemusing than amusing. (Matt Boothman) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 31 Aug (not 25), 3.40pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7–£8). Parents’ Evening ●●●●● This interactive show works best in its first five minutes. Brief one-on-one encounters with the staff of Aultyme High easily recreate the dread of parents’ evening. Group activities follow, and while fun, these never achieve the same kind of genuine emotional response. (Matt Boothman) Sweet ECA, 0870 241 0136, until 30 Aug, 5.30pm, £8 (£7). Peter Duncan’s Dark and Dangerous ●●●●● Following an encounter with the keepers of heaven and hell, early 80s Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan has one hour to justify his career and deliver himself from purgatory. Tied together by audience participation, tomfoolery with a video screen, and tightrope antics, a light-hearted run- through of his stage, TV and film career ensues. Safe, dated, yet surprisingly humble. (Rosalie Doubal) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 31 Aug (not 26), 6.30pm, £10–£11 (£8.50–£9.50). Plagiarismo ●●●●● An hour in Richard DeDomenici’s affable company is always entertaining, but this short lecture on artistic plagiarism is among the weakest of his works. He gets easy laughs from clips pointing out various pop music thefts, but the show pootles along without anything much happening. DeDomenici is capable of much more exciting, politically incisive stuff. (Kirstin Innes) New Town Theatre, 0844 477 1000, until 30 Aug, 7pm, £10 (£8). Porn: the Musical ●●●●● Conceived in Malta, this bawdy sing- along tells the story of a native nerd who trades his small island for the Big Apple and finds happiness making skin flicks in the US. The parody of stage musicals is energetically performed, but it’s too raucous for its own good, only fitfully funny and, given that it’s not as lewd as one might expect, it misses the money shot. (Miles Fielder) George Square Theatre, 651 1292, until 31 Aug (not 24), £8.50–11.50 (£7.50–£9). The Rap Guide to Evolution ●●●●● Part gig, part stand up, part lecture, Baba Brinkman, the man who brought you The Rap Canterbury Tales, tackles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Instantly accessible, destroying creationism through the music of The Notorious BIG, Dead Prez, Mobb Deep and his own flows, it’s an entertaining and scientifically accurate display of lyrical dexterity. Perfect for the inner science geek. (Henry Northmore) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 31 Aug, 2.45pm, £8–£9 (£7–£8).
Reality Chokes ●●●●● Mid-life crisis comedy about a band of ex-punks who come together for one final gig to mark the death of their lead guitarist. Live music, a brazen narrator, and a warming sideline about the main character’s involvement in Fathers for Justice pull together an otherwise iffy selection of riffs, tiffs and middle-aged clichés. (Rosalie Doubal) New Town Theatre, 0844 477 1000, until 30 Aug, 10.15pm, £9–£11 (£7–£8). Ritter, Dene, Voss ●●●●● Skilful acting and inventive staging underpin this menacing yet comic tale, in which two sisters bring their brother home from a mental institution and are confronted by their fraught relationships over the dinner table. Taking Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard and philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein as its spiritual guides, Ritter, Dene, Voss is dialogue-heavy but a must for anyone keen to explore the essence of performance. (Yasmin Sulaiman) St George’s West, 0844 477 1000, until 30 Aug, 2.50pm, £10–£11 (£8–£9). Super Situation ●●●●● Imagine a super heroine with a banal suburban life who, between foiling an evil genius who’s repeatedly attempting to destroy the earth, likes nothing more than to curl up in front of the telly, and you’ve seen the whole joke of this one-woman show. There’s an engaging physical performance by Lois Tucker, but only really a ten-minute conceit to this 50- minute extended sketch. (Steve Cramer) The Bongo Club, 557 2827, until 30 Aug (not 23), 3.30pm, £6.50 (£5). Susurrus ●●●●● A triumphant reworking of David Leddy’s boundary- pushing piece of promenade audio- theatre. While at first it feels odd setting off around the Botanics, map brandished, Leddy’s dark tale of an opera singer’s family, loosely based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, quickly takes hold of your hand and leads you from location to location. As each episode of the story unfolds, your surroundings, and even the people around you, take on new and dramatic meanings. (Allan Radcliffe) Royal Botanic Gardens, 623 3030, until 6 Sep, every half hour 10am–5pm, £8. Wolfboy ●●●●● This musical adaptation of Brad Fraser’s play feels like someone’s titillating soft-core fantasy, in which two troubled boyband- pretty teens with hard bodies and perky nipples come very close to kissing but can only cope with bashfully simulating blow-jobs. Unintentionally funny, with unmemorable songs, prosaic lyrics, bum notes and a lumbering cameo from Lee from Steps, the coyness about the boys’ sexuality is infuriating, while the subtext – that gays are paedos or murderers – is offensive. (Allan Radcliffe) George Square Theatre, 651 1292, until 31 Aug, 5pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£7.50–£9). Words of Honour ●●●●● This exposé of the inner workings of the Sicilian mafia is a frustrating failure. Based on Attilio Bolzoni’s Parole D’Honore, it uses the testimony of an investigative journalist and a handful of criminals to lift the lid on life inside the Cosa Nostra. The two Italian actors are great, but their performances are undercut by the superfluous use of low- grade video projection. (Miles Fielder) Assembly Hall, 623 3030, until 31 Aug, 4.10pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11).
20–27 Aug 2009 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 69