FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD GAME Tackling racism and control in audacious comedy ●●●●●
P H O T O :
B E N A R O N S P H O T O G R A P H Y
Soho Theatre and Ars Nova's show is wilfully perverse and unforgettable. It's unwieldy yet beautiful; erotic, but teetering on ridiculousness. And it feels like a feverish Dixieland hallucination.
After the controversy surrounding Childish Gambino's explosive 'This Is America' video, it would seem that media representations of slavery are always going to be problematic. So this production is not only timely, it feels necessary in opening up a dialogue around race relations, with particular emphasis on historical distortion through clichés and bad art.
The piece initially seems like a frivolous parody of patronising educational tedium, presided over by excessively enthusiastic school teachers with rictus grins. 'Look under your chairs', they beam, à la Oprah Winfrey, and sure enough, a surprise gift awaits.
But then, the curtains part and Jennifer Kidwell's African-
American slave stereotype, in an enormous bustle skirt, offers her body to Scott R Sheppard's white soldier. And all hell breaks loose.
Who is fucking who? Where do boundaries lie, in terms of depictions of eroticised black bodies and slack-jawed white 'crackers'? The sins of the past inform the present.
Words are not without weight, nor can they be reclaimed, the pair
suggest. Kidwell and Sheppard push stereotypes and language beyond discomfort, force until broken, until the room is utterly silenced. Images of dominance and submission roleplay are consistently undermined by humour as the duo, back in teacher mode with perky smiles, demand a rousing chorus of 'Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory'.
Then they simply turn, seemingly no longer in character, and chillingly stare and stare, reminding everyone of their complicity. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Traverse, until 26 Aug (not 20), times vary, £21.50 (£16.50).
P H O T O :
A L E X B R E N N E R
P H O T O
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A L E X B R O W N - H A R V E Y
POLARIS Trite exploration of vital issues ●●●●●
ENTROPY Overheated writing weighs down an otherwise intriguing concept ●●●●● FALLEN FRUIT Childhood stories from communist Bulgaria provide comparison with the present day ●●●●●
Male privilege, the double standards to which men and women are held, migration, climate change, consent and female empowerment are crucial issues, yet despite their charming presentation, the three tales that make up Polaris lack depth and conclude with an appeal to the fundamental similarity of all people . . . and dinosaurs. Those three stories take on huge themes and
render them simplistically. The points about male privilege (in outer space) are well-made, if clumsy, the Year Ten travails of two young women is clearer, but the dinosaur story fails to make coherent points about the exclusion of migrants or environmental devastation. Holly Norrington and Teddy Lamb, however, have lovely presences, and jump between the three narratives easily. But the attempt to take on weighty topics is undermined by the shallow conclusions. Using a tyrannosaurus as a migrant is a splendid
example of ‘fantastic racism’ and there is a confusion about whether the school story is about sexual double standards or informed consent. Against the gentle dramaturgy, Polaris cannot contain the weight of its subjects. (Gareth K Vile) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug, 12.55pm £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£9).
90 THE LIST FESTIVAL 15–27 Aug 2018
The set-up of Jennifer Roslyn Wingate’s two- hander is simple: Sam arrives unannounced on Barbara’s doorstep and demands to be let inside. As they hash out the details of their fraught history, Sam and Barbara engage in a rapid-fire exchange of recriminations, threats, word play, innuendo and tenderness, gradually revealing the details of their dark and complicated history. Their descent into the black corners of their memories is well executed and its depiction of childhood trauma is moving. Lewis Bruniges is compelling as Sam, veering erratically between childish indignation and true menace. Unfortunately, Katharine Drury is given less to work with as Barbara, her taut figure lost amid Bruniges’ rages.
The play thus feels unbalanced and flat; by the second half, there is the sense of things spinning in circles. The dialogue is also clunky, characters lapsing into legal jargon and obscure terminology that breaks the attention. Though Entropy convincingly explores the very worst of what humans can do to one another, it ultimately fails to fulfil its ambitions. (Deborah Chu) ■ Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 Aug, 7.15pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11).
Katherina Radeva’s show arrives at a fascinating juncture. Walls are in vogue again: a compulsive liar of a US president is still talking about building a frontier on the Mexican border, while in Europe the idea is similar – less literal but still a dream of division.
The Bulgarian-born, British-based Radeva uses Fallen Fruit to explore the significance of the Berlin Wall’s collapse on her homeland; what it meant for her father (once jailed for owning a Beatles CD), her mother, grandmother and for a lesbian couple the family were friends with. Further to that she considers what it meant to the country’s economy. Where once Bulgaria had been a communist society, Sofia is now home to the same coffee chains and fast food restaurants as anywhere else in the western world. An open endorsement of communism isn’t exactly forthcoming but it’s made clear that happiness comes from relationships, not from owning a Mercedes. Radeva is a captivating performer and Fallen Fruit shows a historical perspective that translates into a series of compelling (if not particularly well-connected) stories, acting as a comparison piece with the politically tumultuous present day. (Craig Angus) ■ Summerhall, until 26 Aug (not 20), 11.25am, £12 (£10).