LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL REVIEWS FESTIVAL THEATRE
THE STATIC Compelling school drama ●●●●● MACHINES FOR LIVING Debut from promising young company ●●●●●
Sparky is a clever but obstructive and truculent 15-year-old boy who is facing permanent exclusion from school. Siouxsie is a charismatic, rebellious fellow pupil who has, she believes, psychic powers. Davey Anderson’s The Static, in which the
teenagers come together in a bleak attempt to control their world, is often poetic and insightful, with a real understanding of the social, family and educational conditions that can leave some adolescents feeling alienated. The sophisticated use of video projections, sound and music generates energy, but it also makes the production feel filmic, as if it lacks confidence in the capacities of live theatre. Meanwhile, Neil Bettles’ choreography is strongly reminiscent of Steven Hoggett’s work (such as Black Watch). It is a style acclaimed by some, but which I continue to find obvious and laboured.
The play shifts unevenly between empathy with its young characters and caricature (not least of the teachers). Nevertheless, it is a compelling drama, with a strong cast led by Brian Vernel (Sparky) and Samantha Foley (Siouxsie). (Mark Brown) ■ Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 26 Aug, 2.40pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
‘Writing about music,’ Frank Zappa famously said, ‘is like dancing about architecture.’ Well, there’s plenty of the latter in Let Slip’s perky Fringe debut: a goofy, spoofish critique of the Brutalist ideal that gradually caked Britain’s cities in concrete from the 1960s onwards. Newlywed architects Roger and Wendy have a dream: ‘to create homes fit for heroes’; high- rise havens of 20th century living, purpose-built for convenience and community. It can’t last, of course. Ego kicks in and Roger’s buildings reach, Icarus-like, for the sky.
Warped weirdos – all performed with admirable comic gusto – creep out of the concrete. But there’s brainpower alongside the buffoonery, and Let Slip brilliantly skewer the empty lifestyle slogans imposed by aspirational consumerism (‘Regeneration for a new generation’). It’s a tad uneven and fragile, but it marks Let Slip out as a young company with that rare thing: a distinctive voice. (Matt Trueman) ■ Zoo, 662 6892, until 27 Aug (not 21), 3.30pm, £10 (£8).
BEST IN THE WORLD Uplifting darts drama hits its target ●●●●●
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Only the other day Usain Bolt declared himself the ‘greatest athlete to live’. Alex Elliott might take umbrage with that. In Best in the World, he proposes another: a balding 52-year-old with a hefty circumference by the name of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor. Taylor throws darts – or, to use the vernacular, slings arrows – like nobody else. Since 1995, he’s racked up 36 world titles across three competitions and, by Elliott’s estimation, stepped up to the oche around 12 million times over the course of his life. ‘The dartboard doesn’t discriminate,’ says Elliott; Taylor’s status as the world’s best is not just undisputed, but indisputable.
This affecting, uplifting little inspiration from Unfolding Theatre knows that we can’t all become
world champions, but arms us with inspirational bananas and urges us on to new heights and personal bests.
Elliott’s certainly leading by example in Annie Rigby’s production and, while his three-dart average may be a tepid 42.33 (last season Taylor’s was 117.35), you get a real sense of the diligence and discipline he’s putting into his performance. ‘I won’t use the upward inflection,’ he says of a line he’s just delivered, before repeating himself. There’s real care in the way he addresses us directly, making gentle eye contact to ensure no one gets left behind. It’s a performance that makes you aware of its own meticulous craft without ever demonstrating it, and it’s beautiful to watch.
Admittedly, his material, written by Carrie Rodney, is a little unfocused; the survey of sporting heroes isn’t wide enough to justify not confining itself to darts and the selfishness of self-sacrifice goes uninterrogated. Elliott chose to miss his father’s funeral to honour a commitment to perform in Spain, a decision he stands by, but one needs further unpicking in terms of impact and ethics. We need to know not just what it takes to take to take on the world and win, but also what it costs. (Matt Trueman) ■ Northern Stage at St Stephens, 558 3047, until 25 Aug (not 20), 12.45pm, £14 (£10).
MY ROBOT HEART Stylish one-woman show with live band ●●●●●
This charming one-woman show slathered with well- observed social satire about wardrobes, Morrissey, and the rules of the playground asks an important question: ‘If it’s only physiologically possible to be in love for 12-18 months, then what on earth happens next?’ Meet Eliza and her family, whose relationships are a thought experiment about how humans are programmed to love. Younger stepbrother Harry’s story about childhood friendship seems out of place in a play otherwise about romantic love, but the proportions and interplay between Eliza and her father’s stories is wonderful. The inevitable ending of each still manages to surprise. Molly Naylor is instantly likeable. She inhabits each
of her characters with simple props and complex storytelling, her soft sense of humour making each endearing at the same time as highlighting their flaws. A live soundtrack is provided by ‘real-life’ band The Middle Ones, a two-girl group whose use of a vintage suitcase as a drum pushes their indie-ness into a clinical condition. They add a stylish tint to proceedings, and their interactions with Naylor are hilarious. (James T Harding) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 27 Aug, 3.25pm, £9–£10.50 (£8–£9.50).
16–23 Aug 2012 THE LIST 71