LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL Big Sean, Mikey and Me ●●●●● Taking stock of his life so far, following a breakdown brought on by years of booze- and drug-binging, Ruaraidh Murray has written a play that cuts back and forth between his life in London as an actor and his youthful years as a school kid hanging out with the tough boys and getting into fights with rival Edinburgh casual gangs. Murray’s assessment of his life is blackly comic, heartfelt and, ultimately, quite touching. (Miles Fielder) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 27 Aug, 1.30pm, £10 (£7.50). Breathing Corpses ●●●●● Laura Wade’s 2005 play charts a similar chain reaction to Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde only of death instead of sex. Daisy Rodger and Flora Marston’s rough-and- ready student production is a decent account and handles Wade’s careful ambiguity neatly. The play really comes alive in the final scene and there are two promising performances: Sam Rix disintegrates tenderly as Jim and, as his wife, Chloe Young is a blend of heartfelt sympathy and gritted frustration. (Matt Trueman) Zoo, 662 6892, until 27 Aug (not 13, 21), 5pm, £8 (£6.50). Bullet Catch ●●●●● ‘Magic’s riskiest stunt’ entails catching a speeding bullet between the teeth. In William Henderson’s case, it carried on through bone and brain and back out the other side. Rob Drummond doesn’t merely re-enact that calamitous attempt, he reincarnates it, blending theatre and magic so that each double’s the other’s charge. Pulse-quickening certainly, but also quietly profound, Bullet Catch prods the twin philosophies of nihilism and determinism popular during Henderson’s heyday. (Matt Trueman) Traverse Theatre, 228 1404, until 26 Aug (not 13, 20), times vary, £17–£19 (£12–£14). Chapel Street ●●●●● This exuberant new piece by Luke Barnes plays as two monologues: a boy and a girl stand side-by-side, the narrative snapping breathlessly back and forth between them as their worlds draw closer and closer and ultimately collide in the messy climax to a messy Friday night. The two’s comic timing is brilliant, while Barnes’ script fizzes with contemporary vitality and a sharp but generous humour. (Laura Ennor) Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 26 Aug (not 14), 2.50pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Continuous Growth ●●●●● This is funny, intelligent and valuable theatre confronting the human consequences of Icarus-style banking while schooling us on the difficulties of market economics. Some jokes about CDOs are a bit outdated and the show dwells on the ideas of borrowing and lending, but its parody is insightful and thoroughly rewarding. (Andrew Latimer) Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 27 Aug (not 13, 20), 12.10pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Detention ●●●●● Set in a school detention room, Hong Kong show Detention sees three young boys compete for the attentions of a lone female pupil. All that stands between them and a beating from their violent female teacher is the latter’s delight about a romantic liaison. The show’s combination of
REVIEWS AT A GLANCE FESTIVAL THEATRE
innovative percussion, Chinese martial arts and slapstick humour is typical of this highly accomplished form of physical comedy. So, too, is its garish, populist aesthetic. (Mark Brown) Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, until 26 Aug (not 13, 20), 1pm, £12 (£10). Eat $hit: How Our Waste Can Save the World ●●●●● The Poop Project are here to talk to you about your poo – loudly, clearly, and with songs and jazz hands. Eat $hit is one of the oddest musicals you are ever likely to see, but utterly succeeds in its aim of making you think about your body’s waste and how it could provide some answers to the world’s most pressing environmental problems. Artistic greatness it ain’t, but this is 50 minutes that’ll make you smile and think. (Laura Ennor) C nova, 0845 260 1234, until 27 Aug (not 13), 1pm, £6.50–£8.50 (£4.50–£6.50). Golden Gloves ●●●●● Croatian theatre company Box Teatar’s Golden Gloves is a bit of a mess, but it’s a hugely likeable mess. Mixing up boxing and theatre – a topical combination, with sport on everyone’s lips at the moment – the show delivers a series of vivid set- pieces describing the career of a young boxer, from his first steps in training right through to a reluctant come-back fight. The tone is all over the place but it’s all conveyed with such energy and enthusiasm that it doesn’t really matter. (David Kettle) The Bongo Club, 557 2827, until 12 Aug, 7pm, £7.50 (£6). The Intervention ●●●●● In its very last moment, Dave Florez’s comedy- drama finally finds something truthful. Forty-something alcoholic Zac (Phil Nichol) slumps on the floor and hugs a binful of discarded booze while bawling down the phone to a rehab receptionist. Beforehand, his screwball nearest and dearest have tried to save him from himself in a formulaic sitcom that never gains the terminal velocity of real farce. (Matt Trueman) Assembly Rooms, 693 3008, until 26 Aug (not 13), 7.05pm, £14–£15 (£11–£12). Jigsy ●●●●● It’s a brave man who takes on the role of a faded comedian. Braver still, if you’re Les Dennis. Tony Staveacre’s script gives a knowing nod to the comedy greats: Peter Cook, Ken Dodd and Tommy Cooper, with Dennis casting aside Jigsy’s thick Scouse accent to mimic them with expert precision – his delivery across the hour allowing the show to meander comfortably from light laughs to the darker realities of a comedian’s lot. (Anna Millar) Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, until 26 Aug (not 13), 2.50pm, £14–£15 (£11–£12). Just A Gigolo ●●●●● Fine one-man show directed by playright Stephen Lowe and performed by veteran Scottish actor Maurice Roëves. Roëves plays Angelino Ravagli, the one-time lover of Frieda Lawrence whose affair with the author’s wife was apparently the inspiration for gamekeeper Mellors in Lady Chatterley’s Lover. This is a literate, bawdy, funny, touching and beautifully performed production. (Miles Fielder) Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 27 Aug (not 13), 3.20pm, £14–£15 (£13–£14). Kemble’s Riot ●●●●● Kemble’s Riot recreates 66 nights of rioting in 1809 when the Covent Garden Theatre increased its ticket prices. Moving between comical renditions of the period’s acting style, the political motivations of the rioters and Kemble’s role in it all, Adrian Bunting offers a thought-provoking take on the relationship between performer and audience that manages to be relevant to the current obsession with celebrity without being preachy. (Suzanne Black) Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 27 Aug (not 13), 4pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle ●●●●● 15th Oak Productions return with this tragicomedy about recently deceased Eric, a man caught in his memories. Overlapping strands slowly unfold to create touching revelations as our anti-hero relives the critical decisions that informed his life; meanwhile, a consummate ensemble of actors share the role of narrator in an ambitious show posing wider, relatable questions about regrettable choices and loves lost. (Anna Millar) Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 27 Aug (not 13), noon, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Ma Biche et Mon Lapin ●●●●● Like escapees from a Jean-Pierre Jeunet and/or Marc Caro film (Delicatessen/ Amelie/Micmacs) Julien Mellano and Charlotte Blin are craft store silent vaudeville eccentrics, Gallic bunraku doll puppet handlers with no puppets but a whole load of mutant quirk. Part of the French Theatre Showcase at the Fringe Ma Biche et Mon Lapin is humorously and creatively soundtracked and choreographed, even if it does drag a little at just 30 minutes. (Paul Dale) Institut français d’Ecosse, 225 5366, until 24 Aug (not 11 & 12, 18 & 19), 12.25pm, 3.25pm and 5.25pm, £5. 1984 ●●●●● Opening with a stream of perfectly timed choreography, half- naked bodies and live music, it’s clear from the outset that this is no generic adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian tale. Given the subject matter of 1984 there’s the potential for melodrama, but the cast often works in whispers rather than screams to greater dramatic effect. The whole ensemble never misses a beat, ensuring an engaging and energetic show that has the audience at its fingertips. (Jen Bowden) Zoo, 662 6892, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22), 6.40pm, £8 (£5). Panga ●●●●● Lucy’s life is in a rut: she drinks too much, her flat is a state and her dull boyfriend Gordon no longer shares her fun-loving, hedonistic attitude. The strain on their relationship intensifies with the arrival of Panga, a drinking, swearing cuddly toy from Lucy’s childhood. The two leads (Mark O’Neill and Beth Godfrey) are filled with energy and charisma. Unfortunately, the script is leaden: punch lines are telegraphed a mile off, while subtexts are spelled out with all the subtlety of a dog humping your leg. (Niki Boyle) Hill Street Theatre, 226 6522, until 26 Aug (not 14), 8.30pm, £11–£13 (£9–£11). Rime ●●●●● In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Square Peg Contemporary Circus have chosen a poem that is ripe for their brand of highly physical storytelling. Whether they are evoking the excitement of setting sail, thirst, hunger, or the terror of shipwreck, the company astonish, both individually
and collectively, with their daring and precision. It’s just a pity, therefore, that the poor acoustics of their venue, the Summerhall Dissection Room, prevent the audience from hearing many of Coleridge’s lines. (Mark Brown) Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, until 15 Aug, times vary, £11–£14 (£9–£12). Serve Cold ●●●●● After paying for prostitute Grace’s (Nicola Clark) services for the night, Joy makes a proposition: she’ll help Grace escape her abusive pimp if Grace helps her exact revenge on her ex-boyfriend. Clark’s performance is fantastic, and the plot’s nasty streak makes it more intriguing that your average Strangers on a Train knock-off. Some tweaks and this could be a truly devious dramatic thriller. (Niki Boyle) Gryphon Point Hotel, 07531 392 327, until 11 Aug then 20–27 Aug, 3.30pm, £8 (£6). Shopping Centre ●●●●● Devised by comedian-cum-actor/playwright Matthew Osborn Shopping Centre is more a list of everything that is wrong with society than a drama. An effective performance from Osborn can’t mask the clichés that litter the opening minutes. It’s a harrowing tale that emerges with difficult moments interspersed between lighter, comedic musings. The result is a violent and, given recent events in Colorado, potentially distasteful ending. (Jen Bowden) Gilded Balloon at Third Door, 622 6552, until 26 Aug (13, 20), 4.30pm, £9–£10 (£9). Slice ●●●●● Three troubled sisters congregate in the kitchen of their family home, their mother dying in the next room. Petty put-downs and awkward situations abound as our trio slowly reveal themselves and their troubled relationship with a cruel matriarch. Mel Giedroyc (of Mel & Sue) has painted three interesting characters, and if the play doesn’t quite know the measure of how many parts sad or how many parts funny it should be, it’s an entertaining, wonderfully acted, lunchtime romp nonetheless. (Anna Millar) Gilded Balloon, 622 6552, until 27 Aug (not 13, 20), 1pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Would Be Nice Though . . . ●●●●● With a nuttiness reminiscent of Smack the Pony and a sense of the awkward that would be at home in The Office, Holly Bodmer and Dot Howard skewer the whole process of job interviews, from the bizarre rituals to the desperate competitiveness, with pot shots at The Apprentice (and the light fittings) along the way. Even for the reluctant team player, this show is simply a lot of fun, with tiny details to leave you grinning. (Laura Ennor) Pleasance at Essential Edinburgh, 556 6550, until 18 Aug, 12.30pm & 4.30pm, £8–£9 (£7–£8). Wrong Place, Right Time ●●●●● Sophie Willan, Léonie Higgins and Lowri Evans explore the looming big three-oh in three autobiographical monologues – all still embryonic scratches – that tend towards observational comedy. Neither Higgins’ or Willans’ pieces get far beyond cliché but Evans’ is the most theatrically minded and, though she meanders distractedly, there are seeds of interest here. (Matt Trueman) Laughing Horse @ the Free Sisters, 622 6801, until 12 Aug, 1.45pm, free. 9–16 Aug 2012 THE LIST 85