list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL THEATRE
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GYPSY QUEEN Drama about gay seduction and boxing ●●●●● HEATHER A captivating blend of light and dark ●●●●●
EVE A meditation on identity ●●●●●
There’s a crackle of electricity when two young fighters from two warring boxing dynasties meet in Rob Ward’s two-hander from About Hope theatre company. Dane is struggling to find his killer instinct and live up to the glories of his father. ‘Gorgeous’ George, on the other hand, is a bare-knuckle fighter, tempted to the ring to legitimise his talent.
That electricity, though, comes not only from their bristling, competitive masculinity, but also from their immediate attraction for each other, and Gypsy Queen charts – quite tenderly at times – the two men’s unlikely relationship, as well as painting in a rich cast of memorable supporting characters, all ably played by writer Ward and Ryan Clayton. Director Adam Zane keeps things moving smoothly, and he has a sure command of mood, from the comic to the sensual to the downright brutal. It might feel like one or two characters or plotlines could have been trimmed to focus the themes more tightly, and the shock ending comes unconvincingly out of nowhere to ensure that heartstrings are tugged. But this is a slick, rewarding piece of work nonetheless, that offers fresh and surprising perspectives on gay experience. (David Kettle) ■ Assembly Rooms, until 26 Aug (not 14, 21), 1pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
This new play by Thomas Eccleshare follows the relationship between a debut author and their publisher. Heather Eames has written a book about a witch named Greta that becomes wildly successful, spawning a series of sequels and films. The actors, Charlotte Melia and Ashley Gerlach
are captivating, deliberately cast to undermine assumptions and expectations of a person’s name. Melia’s delivery is perfectly paced, leaving us hanging on her every word as the narrative shifts into a dark place. The staging is initially very simple, the pair reading a lengthy email exchange at mic stands. But it steps up as we enter the climax of a Greta book, with microphones and strip lights wielded as props in a dramatic action sequence. Paralells with JK Rowling are obvious and played
for laughs, lightening up the bleak subject matter with witty lines and excellent comic timing. It gleefully ribs fantasy books: the silly place names, the orphaned heroes, and their simplistic duality of good versus evil. But, as the Greta scene plays out, the fantasy format draws us into the young witch's fate, reinforcing the question — if a story is good, does it matter who wrote it? (Rowena McIntosh) ■ Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 5.55pm, £12 (£10).
Jo Clifford and Chris Goode’s Eve is almost soporifically gentle, with Clifford’s soft beautiful voice drawing the audience in. There are righteous bursts of anger, though: first, at the pain she suffered in losing her mother very young, and then at the exclusion of not being able to come out as a girl growing up.
At times, it’s incredibly hard to watch, too raw, as Clifford puts her life right in front of the audience through a series of beautiful photographs of herself as a little boy, John, and as an adult with her late wife. The soothing, hypnotic tone won’t be for everyone: Kai Fisher’s exquisite lighting and director Susan Worsfold’s pared-down set, complemented by an ambient wash of sound by Matt Padden, bring a hymnal quality to the piece.
But for those seeking lucid and emotive storytelling, it’s an evocative depiction of someone now at peace with the woman she struggled to be. Change takes time, and progress never moves as quickly as it should. Clifford and Goode’s words stand as a reminder that for so many, it is a long and dangerous journey to gaining acceptance. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Traverse, until 27 Aug, (not 14, 21) times vary, £19.50 (£14.50).
LILITH: THE JUNGLE GIRL Audacious, gloriously kitschy experience ●●●●●
Sisters Grimm’s Lilith looks set to be a cult hit at this year’s festival. It’s nothing short of fabulous, a psychedelic mash- up of film parody, cartoon and live art with characters which feel like a fish-eye-lens view of LGBTQ culture. Candy Bowers is hilarious as Doctor Charles Penworth, a misogynist of the Rex Harrison stripe, complete with pipe and RP English, who tries to socialise his latest discovery, a feral girl covered in primordial pink gloop (Ash Flanders). This is in spite of the obvious unswerving adoration from his unhinged assistant Helen Travers (Genieve Giuffre) who is threatened by a naked ‘she creature’ in their midst. A love triangle, inevitably, ensues. Expositions of the kind of British melodrama where women are slapped then kissed by patrician type men are stretched to breaking point like knicker elastic, and it’s always on the brink of falling apart entirely, which only adds to the delight. The best element of the show is that the crazy tangents
it wanders off into are entirely unexpected. There is something life-affirming about ‘peng-lions’ spitting out rhymes about authenticity and being forced into prostitution, or Lilith’s irrational fear of penguins. The cast of three never flag, deadpan to the last slip on stage (the gloopy substance is everywhere). Scratch the innuendo though, and there’s an intelligent undercurrent about exoticism, gender conditioning and the vagaries of Freudian analysis which sought to put women in their place. Lilith is an audacious, gloriously kitschy experience,
with a plea for tolerance at its sweet and sticky centre. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), times vary, £19.50 (£14.50).
10–17 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 95
Y B S U B F F E J : O T O H P