FESTIVAL 8-10pm continued
MUSICAL REVIEW Nunsense *va
The Pope must fry: Nunsense
The Little Sisters of Hoboken need money to bury members of their order killed by food poisoning. What are they to do? Have a fund-raiser, of course!
This premise is a green light for some most un-nunlike behaviour, jokes of varying quality about Catholicism and a whole lotta singing. And bloody good warbling at that. The sistas' vocal talents are exactly what's needed to make up for a rice-paper- thin plot.
Unforgettable numbers such as ’l Could’ve Gone To Nashville', 'Playing Second Fiddle' and ’We’ve Got To
theatre 0 dance 0 comedy
festival
Clean Out The Freezer', are among the ditties belted out by these large-lunged ladies in this fast, funny, religion- themed romp. (Dawn Kofie)
I Nunsense (Fringe) Festival Theatre USC-USA, Drummond Community Theatre (Venue 25) 558 9695, 74-15, 21—22, 28 Aug, 9.30pm, £5.
DANCE REVIEW
Turul: Grotesque Myth Of A Plucked Angle
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With a title that sounds like a geometry lesson taught by the Monty Python team, you expect a challenge from Hungarian company Artus. On a journey from a time of myth, corrupted by the powers of religion and mass communication, we see individuals and a nation losing their identity.
Mixing slapstick humour with striking imagery and moments of haunting melancholy, Turul is most powerful when the dancers communicate through movement alone. Bodies come together sharply and smoothly, without props or language to disguise their meaning.
As for Turul, he’s a mythical bird who loses more than a few feathers along the way. If you like your social commentary surreal, slapstick with flashes of brilliance, then see this. (Louisa Pearson)
u Turul: Grotesque Myth Of A Plucked
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THEATRE REVIEW l! I J; ‘ Andromache V f _ ,. ***** ’
' 4' 9!! 459:? - t3 _ . . This new work by young Traverse ~ . ,‘ :‘y " _ ' ' writer David Priestly is given a ' ' -, ’j " dazzlingly imaginative and ' ‘ . inventive treatment by anarchic theatre art collective Laboratorium 33. Though economically staged - with scaffolding, junkyard props and thrift shop clothes - it looks fantastic, with the cast of four resembling the glamoroust bedraggled remnants of some post- g apocalyptic fashion shoot. Content , I j 1 doesn't lose out to style, though; ‘ . f .
.4} 9 Topside heavy: Andromache
Priestly's script is a vibrant yet profoundly touching take on Greek myth and unrequited love, and playing the star-crossed eternal quartet of Trojan war survivors, Orestes, Pyrrhus, Hermione and Andromache, the performers are wholly riveting. Simple visual tricks, surprising props (a gory slab of meat dangles wetly overhead throughout) and elements of circus and dance combine to create a self-contained, beautiful but nightmarish world that captivates and confounds. The classical roots of the play are respectfully handled, yet the dominant theme of disappointed love and emotional abuse is as modern and timeless as the battered found objects that litter the stage. One lover exploits another; the politics of state are hopelessly entwined with sexual intrigue; physical suffering mirrors psychological trauma. The denouement is probably one of the most heartstopping moments, visually and emotionally, that this or any other Fringe has to offer.
This production bursts with potential; given the budget and the space they deserve, this company could work miracles. And hell, if justice fails to be done and it doesn't work out, they could always go into modelling. (Hannah McGill)
I Andromache (Fringe) Laboratorium-33, Rocket Venue @ Theatre Arts Centre (Venue 76) 667 6666, until 27 Aug (not 75) 9pm, £7.50/£6.50 (£5/£4).
http/lwww.why.co.uk whercto@why.co.uk
so rIIE usr 12-19 Aug 1999
Angle (Fringe) Artus: Demarco COMEDY REVIEW European Art Foundation, D.E.A.F. @ St The very Best of Kit And Mary’s Cathedral (Venue 709) 557 w.d 0707, until 21 Aug (not 15) 8pm, £5 ' 0‘" (£4).THEATRE PREVIEW *vk‘k‘k
Veterans of sixteen fringes ('this Drummers
intellectual Tescos') Kit and Widow are patently among friends here, their endearing comic cabaret recieved like the prodigal come home. Essentially a polished distillation of their career hitherto, this ’best of’ show is a hilarious, piano-keyed stroll through the archives, glazed where necesarry with devilish topicality.
Euro bureacracy, Robin ’Throbbing’ Cook, How To Write A West End Score - the topics are as varied as the music they soar on, the one recurring plumbline being the pair’s gentle warm irreverence. Too clever by half mind you, but a giddy treat nonetheless. They do say the old ones are the best. (Barry McPherson)
I The Very Best Of Kit And Widow (Fringe) Observer Assembly (Venue 3) until 23 Aug, 8.30pm, £9. 50/£8. 50 (£8. 50/£ 7.50).
Max Stafford-Clark has an impeccable record in bringing new writing to the stage, from Rita, Sue And Bob Too to Mark Ravenhill's Shopping And Fucking. This year his company, Out of Joint, will premiere Drummers, Simon Bennett's dark tale of burglary and family struggles.
What distinguishes Drummers from other crime dramas is that this is the genuine article. 'It is written by somebody who's been through that,’ explains Stafford-Clark, ’Simon started writing when he was in Winchester Prison.’
But it is no crime caper. ’It is about a mother trying to control her sons, about the difficulty of families, which is a very familiar subject, but with a very specific setting.‘ A setting in which the characters happen to be in a particular line of work with its own language and values. Stafford-Clark is emphatic: ‘The script's authenticity and its originality have to be respected.’ (Moira Jeffrey) fl Drummers (Fringe) Out of Joint, Traverse (Venue 15) 228 7404. 75-29 9, ,5 * Aug (not 16, 23) times vary, £12 (£7.50). * * Previews 12, 14 Aug, £7.50 (£4.50). *
STAR RATINGS
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