Friday, December 19

REVIEWS

Work.txt – Summerhall Old Lab
Scotland

Work.txt – Summerhall Old Lab

Work.txt is a show about work in which the audience do all (well... most of) the work. Only they tread the boards as there are no actors; following instructions projected on the wall, communicated over headphones or printed out onto a script. They build the set, read lines and act out what needs acting out together (if they are okay with that), alone (if they volunteer) or just as witnesses (if they prefer) to the others, the interplay between audience and screen, and to the light show and music, aided by an atmospheric haze machine. Why? It's a show about the gig economy, financial instability and bad jobs, as seen through a day in a nameless city, and the impact and connections made by a single worker. The format illustrates all that, though I can't imagine anyone finding their part o...
Men With Coconuts – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
Scotland

Men With Coconuts – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose

The award-winning local improv troupe returned to the Fringe to illustrate what a double-edged sword the make-it up-as-you-go-along world of improv is. At times inducing belly-laughs, at others a cringe or two and all points in between. OK then, a multi-edged sword. The former was true at the start as our three players bounded onto stage following a frantic jazz soundtrack, repeating the manoeuvre no less than three times to accommodate late-comers. In all the excitement ringmaster Charlie appeared to lose track of his microphone while piano-player Colin dutifully added appropriate incidentals to the chaos and the tone was set, snapping to attention the audience, a key element in this milieu. The guys riffed around various suggested film genres on an imaginary ‘Prime Minister versus Cou...
The West – COLAB Tavern
London

The West – COLAB Tavern

Colab Theatre’s immersive show propels you into a Western, bursting with sub-plots and missions. The story centres around the Mayor and Sheriff’s son who is arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder whilst we also rebuild the town after a devastating sandstorm. The set was wonderfully detailed without being too overwhelming or distracting. The tavern location was perfect for the show and the saloon swing doors were a neat touch. Co-written by Bertie Watkins, Ben Chamberlain, Charlotte Potter and the company, the script was bursting full of ideas and kept the audience entertained throughout whilst allowing for interjections from audience members and time to figure out the puzzles. With so many activities going on at once, the actors were excellent multitaskers and remembered which g...
The Sian Clarke Experience – Underbelly, Cowgate
Scotland

The Sian Clarke Experience – Underbelly, Cowgate

There is a lot of dirt, a lot of grime, a lot of mess and a lot of rage on stage of the Sian Clarke experience, a physical performance that is as deliberately irreverent and uncomfortable as it is necessary for our society. It seems like an out-of-control rage that of the young comedian, Sian Clarke, but it is instead a calculated fun guaranteed by the strong stage presence of the performer who fills the stage with mastery and awareness. Sian does not want to be sexy, she does not want to be funny, she does not want to be "a good girl", she wants to be uncomfortable, desecrating, attacking a sexist and patronising society that threatens women on a daily basis and frames them in demeaning and humiliating categories. Hers is a necessary testimony, unfortunately shared by all the women pre...
Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope – King’s Head Theatre
London

Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope – King’s Head Theatre

“Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper”. ‘Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope’ by Writer/Performer/Producer Mark Farrelly debuted at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014 and has toured constantly ever since, recently reaching its 150th performance. Directed by Linda Marlow, it offers a brief 70-minute snapshot into the extraordinary life of the legendary Quentin Crisp and is currently being performed as a unique double bill with ‘Jarman’. Split into two distinct parts, the play opens in the late 1960s in a grubby Chelsea flat. The audience is introduced to Quentin who suggests that “If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style”. This is a clear indication of the rules and values that served as an undertone to Quentin’s early life of beatings and rejec...
Assisted – The Space at Surgeons’ Hall
Scotland

Assisted – The Space at Surgeons’ Hall

Technology in our home has become the norm and we barely bat an eyelid at requesting information from our reliable Alexa. But how much information should we allow Alexa to have? At a time when our lives are stored on our smart phone’s – banking apps, apps for booking restaurants, exercise monitors, to name but a few functions that they perform, how nosey should these AI devices be? Our couple, Jordan (Matt Vickery) and Connie (Emma Wilkinson Wright), live what appears to be a happy life together, they have been dating for some time and have finally decided to take their relationship to the next level, to move in together. To help to make Connie feel at home, Jordan sets up a profile for her with his Alivia (Jessica Munna), his all singing and dancing AI voice assistant. Initially Connie...
Charlie Russell Aims to Please – Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Charlie Russell Aims to Please – Pleasance Courtyard

Charlie Russell wants to create a show that will please absolutely everyone by trying to hit as many solo Fringe show tropes and styles as possible within an hour, based on what her audience likes the most. Though as a person/character Russell might just be trying to please an audience, as a show concept this is a quite challenge to them. You might know going in a comedy show is supposed to make you laugh, but it's something else for a performer to point out that's what they're trying to do, tell you they've failed if you haven't and give you a second and more controllable way of giving or with-holding approval: it's a gauntlet that more mischievous or combative audience members might take some convincing to just put back on your hand. Or maybe that's just her being a more positive (in ...
Blood Harmony – Traverse Theatre
Scotland

Blood Harmony – Traverse Theatre

Commissioned and produced by ThickSkin and Lawrence Batley Theatre, the Traverse has brought Blood Harmony to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Writer Matthew Bulgo has created a musical focused upon the grief of three sisters, Chloe (Eve de Leon Allen), Maia (Keshini Misha) and Anna (Philippa Hogg), who are coming to terms with the death of their mother. Reunited after time apart, the sisters reacquaint themselves and find that they are living vastly different lives, and they struggle to understand each other’s way of thinking. Anna lives overseas, is arrogant and career minded, and it becomes clear that she had not visited her mother for some years. Maia is unconventional, lurching from one disaster to another, she struggles to support herself and uses drink and drugs as her escape. C...
CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation – Underbelly, Bristo Square
Scotland

CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation – Underbelly, Bristo Square

CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation was the first improvised performance I have seen so far at this Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and I was not disappointed. It began as many improvisations do, with the performers asking the audience to provide certain details that form the bedrock of the show. In this case, we had to name the victim, their job, and the weapon with which they were murdered. It was like an exceptionally fun game of Cluedo. I was already laughing as we named our victim Jervaiz Pickle, yes it was spelt like that. The unfortunate victim had been a Travelodge receptionist and was brutally murdered by limp hearts of Romaine lettuce. I must give credit to whoever thought of this genius weapon as it propelled much of the slapstick comedy throughout the show. The details of the m...
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World – The Grand, Pleasance Courtyard
Scotland

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World – The Grand, Pleasance Courtyard

Based upon the award-winning book by Kate Pankhurst descendant of the great suffragette, Emmeline Pankhurst, this musical tells the story of inspirational women from the past, who act as a guiding light for any girl or young woman of today. Beginning with an upbeat number, which is sure to strike a chord with children and parents alike, this group of very cool teachers share their everyday frustrations in this slick, witty opening song. Set in a museum, schoolgirl Jade (Kudzai Mangombe) has been separated from her school party and is lost.  Frustrated that she feels that she has not be missed by anyone, she opens up about her parents impending divorce, and that she always tries hard at school, but she that in spite of this, she still feels invisible.  Hearing her plea, the ...