CHILDREN'S REVIEW Snow White Aid: ' '“ ‘V i“, 3 V _. “01? {f

J...” An apple a day . . . : Snow White

'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?’ Being beautiful can sometimes get you into trouble, as this well-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale shows.

Tall Stories highlight the darker side of the story while still maintaining its target kiddie audience. Admitedly, some of the children in the audience were a bit freaked out by the mirror sequence, but were nonetheless entertained by the clever use of sound effects and movement. The three adept performers on the near-empty stage switched between characters with dexterity and ease. Convincing? This big kid cried when Snow White died. Entertaining? The kids wanted more. Enchanting? Certainly.

(Tracy Griffen)

I Snow White (Fringe) Tall Stories, C Cubed (Venue 726) 225 5 705, until 30 Aug, 3.75pm, £6 (£5; £4 children).

THEATRE REVIEW Fat Girl **

The fat girl longs to be thin, but when she gets there, she's just as pissed off as she was before. Written and performed by Caroline Moses, in fifty minutes of non-stop monologue, the deranged and twisted mind of a woman obsessed with her outward appearance is revealed. Her vanity leads her into observations about life and what she calls ‘excuses for failure', of which being fat is one.

Moses, although capturing the part of

Venue 90: Cafe Graffiti August 23rd- 28th at 6pm

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the fat girl in an all-encompassing performance, succeeds in creating a character who is petulant, bitter and not particularly likeable. (Catherine Bromley) I Fat Girl (Fringe) Vague Ideas Theatre, Garage Theatre (Venue 87) 227 9009, 22-30 Aug, 5.30pm, £6 (£5).

THEATRE REVIEW Journey's End it * A

Films like The Battle Of Britain peddle the myth that World War I was largely fought by upper-class officers and this production by a group of past and present Etonians follows suit. It explores the dynamics of the relationship between an experienced officer, a drunken captain and a fresh- faced recruit as they await the inevitable outcome of a German assault. More concerned with character than plot, over the course of 1 10 minutes the cast produce some good performances, notably from Peter Broad who does well to develop the homo-erotic sub-text. All Quiet On The Western Front it ain’t, but it's good solid drama nevertheless.

(Davie Archibald)

I Journey's End (Fringe) Double Edge Drama, Rocket Venue @ Theatre Arts Centre (Venue 76) 667 6666, 79, 27, 24, 26, 28 Aug, 4pm, £6 (£5).

COMEDY REVIEW Rainer Hersch Conducts All Classical Music Explained: The Orchestra!

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Rainer Hersch Conducts All Classical Music Explained: The Orchestra I pretty much does what it says on the box (in a flippant kind of way). To be fair, he does set himself an unrealistic task for an hour long show, although he genuinely does have a rather excellent orchestra to help him through it.

The central flaw with this show is that classical music is not that intrinsically funny (unlike, for example, heavy metal music) although both share common ground in the form of drummer jokes. To its credit it’s very different and good fun.

(Ross Holloway)

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THEATRE REVIEW

Poppy Day

****

Poppy Day has a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order.

Gormless, guileless Ben Moor introduces the woman he loves to his best friend, and they get together 'like a pair of paperclips'. Pretending to be happy for them, inside he's seething, until he discovers he's in an alternate universe. Now, Moor’s normal universe is pretty alternate already. In it the new slogan emerging from Nike's new sponsorship deal with the police is 'Just Arrest'; people drink diet whisky; and 'Why Can't We All Just Get Along’ is a board game based on the LA riots.

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Since his brilliant Fringe debut in 1993, Moor’s brain-tickling shows have gravitated away from science and maths towards the emotional. Last year’s My Last Year With Modolia saw Moor semi-tragically falling for an 80- something. This time, love is in the air again, but we’re rooting for him to

get the girl for a change.

Moor’s way of looking at the world is gentle and twisted, so you can never be sure how things will turn out. Safe to say that there was an audible ‘aaah' from the audience, as the last line of this lovely little one man show evaporated into the ether. (Gabe Stewart)

I Poppy Day (Fringe) Ben Moor, Pleasance Over The Road (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 30 Aug (not 23) 4pm, £8. 50/£ 7. 50 7. 50/£ 6. 50).

I Rainer Hersch Conducts All Classical Music Explained: The Orchestra! (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 5pm, £9.50/£8.50 (£8. 50/£ 7. 50).

THEATRE REVIEW Riddance ****

How long can you hide a dark secret for? Kenny and Clare are both burdened with knowledge of a brutal event which occured during their childhood, and when an old friend appears unexpectedly, forces are put in motion which threaten the uneasy peace they have found.

Stark, intense and profoundly moving, Riddance explores the dynamics between three people bound together by love, friendship and guilt. The tension between the characters is palpable, and the dialogue is convincing and realistic. Outstanding performances all round and a powerful script make this one of the must-sees of the Fringe. (Kirsty Knaggs)

I Riddance (Fringe) Paines Plough, Traverse Theatre (Venue 75) 228 7404, until 4 Sep (not 23 Aug) times vary, £9 (£6).

THEATRE REVIEW A Symmetry Of Love A***

Kit Marlowe, England’s second greatest playwright is murdered and modern day literary historians are given the daunting task of finding out why Jumping from 16th century Elizabethan England to present day and interspersed with Marlowe's

Tambur/aine drifting scriptless with his heroine, Zen, there’s certainly a lot to contend with here.

The production is fast-moving, witty and, although hard to follow, this is more than compensated for by some of the finest acting likely to grace this year's Fringe. A treat for literary buffs and all those in need of a vigorous cerebral workout. (Catherine Bromley) I A Symmetry Of Love (Fringe) Cambridge University ADC, Roman Eagle Lodge (Venue 2 7) 226 7207, until 29 Aug (not 24) 4. 75pm, £5 (£4).

THEATRE REVIEW Mainstream ****

Over a winter weekend two people attend an interview. An illicit affair ensues, or does it? Cleverly casting two performers of each sex, four actors take turns playing out the different characters. An innovative, self-reflexive piece, Mainstream explores the infinite number of possibilities inherent in the situation. It is an extremely slick production in which the plot(s) develop through a series of short scenes, some in flashback, with humorous asides sprinkled throughout. lts thematic concentration on the (in)ability of forming human relationships is not exactly earth shattering. Nevertheless, it's worth seeing solely on account of its skilfully crafted structure.

(Davie Archibald)

I Mainstream (Fringe) Suspect Culture, Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 30 Aug (not 23) 4.50pm, £9. 50/E8. 50 (£8. 50/E 7. 50).

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