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THEATRE Voidoido ***
Internet drama meets retro rock shock
if there was any justice (which there isn’t) this would be languishing in a late night slot, not papped out like afternoon tiffin in excruciating daylight.
Debs and Derry want to make movies and the internet seems like a viable outlet, but online addiction can set in all too easily it would appear. These episodic adventures are book-ended by a live soundtrack of unashamedly retro Who/MCS/Sabbath RAWK! from Gorilla, and while the two make for odd bedfellows, the gig-meets-play concept works in places.
This is a prophetic little tale, but the strong performances are lessened by the elongated scuzz workouts from the band. A refreshing experience nevertheless. (Mark Robertson) Voidoido (Fringe) Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2 75 7, until 28 Aug (not Mon) 2.45pm, £7.50 (£6.50).
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THE.ATRE Hustttt
Rock ’n’ roll tragedy on the open road
It's not often you see a genuine Fiat 127 on stage, but most of the action in Bliss takes place in one. Part road movie, part rock opera, it tells the story of two young lovers fleeing to the coast in the hope of starting a new life. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan, and in a series of flashbacks, the events leading up to the inevitable tragedy are played out. Punctuated and complemented by an original rock soundtrack, which is available on CD at the show, the story is genuinely moving, and acted with conviction by the two leads. (Kirsty Knaggs)
l Bliss (Fringe) Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2751, until 28 Aug, 2.30pm, £8 (£7).
THEATRE Saved By Sex **~k Melvyn Hayes gets back in drag Try as you might, it's impossible for anyone attending Saved By Sex to forget the memory of Melvin Hayes as Bombadier ’Gloria’ Beaumont in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. Caroline Burns Cooke’s new play sees Hayes back in drag as Maybelline, a barmaid and surrogate mother to the neurotic Marji and dippy Barry. With well- timed comic performances from each of the cast, the play draws its humour from a stream of unlikely situations, mostly caused by Barry, whether it’s drugging notorious gangster Mr Big Ron or endlessly posing the question, ’Who’s my real father?’ Holes in the narrative and some rough edges are smoothed over by the charismatic performers. (Louisa Pearson) ll Saved By Sex (Fringe) Fireworks, Gilded Balloon at The Peppermint Lounge (Venue 38) 226 2 75 7, until 20 Aug, 7.75pm, £6.50 (£5).
Madeleine Sami: Skillful precision THEATRE
NO. 2 *‘k*** The many faces of Fijian family life
Rivalry, jealousy, fury or just plain irritation are emotions usually associated with family gatherings. It's not a new idea. But take one such gathering, set it in the New Zealand home of an irrascible Fijian matriarch who decides death is imminent, therefore grandchildren must be gathered, a banquet prepared and her successor named, and things start cooking. Literally. In Toa Fraser's No. 2, the girls are relegated to the kitchen to create the feast and the boys to the garden to roast a hog. As the preparations begin, members of the family start arriving and they just keep on coming until nine characters fill every inch of the stage. And astonishingly there is just one twenty-year—old woman, Madeleine Sami, doing the acting and her performance is dazzling. She flies in and out of character with skillful precision; she cocks an eyebrow and she is the self proclaimed badass, Saul; her jaw juts and she’s cutie Moses; her face caves in, her lids lower and her body slumps to become cantankerous old Nana. Her physical skill in portraying young and old, male and female is equally matched by her impressive vocal dexterity. And it is Fraser's hilarious romp of a script, full of insight and compassion that gives this superb performer a great vehicle in which to shine. (Viv Franzmann)
:5 No. 2 (Fringe) Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 28 Aug (not 74) 2.15pm, £8. 50/£9.50 (£7.50/£8. 50).
THEATRE REVIEW M010 ****
The shady shenanigans of the Soho gangster
Set in the seedy underworld of 19505 Soho, this kinetic and powerful production of Jez Butterworth's hit play manages to portray the drug-fuelled mayhem of the times with considerable force. A seam of dark humour runs through the excellent, expletive-strewn script, and the pill-induced psychosis of the characters holed up in a club awaiting their fate is palpable. The overall effect is a bit like watching a Robert De Niro film, only with cockney accents and quiffs. A handful of first-class performances from the cast and some well-paced direction combine to make Mojo a joy
to watch. (Doug Johnstone)
Ia Mojo (Fringe) The Really Youthful Theatre Company, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 28 Aug 7.30pm, £70/£ll (£9/£70).
bask in the afterglow of their lovemaking to the strains of REM's Night Swimming). Yet Gemma Eddington's direction is assured and the cast persuasively convey the euphoria, complications, sadness and loneliness of being in love. Only the final ten minutes, which involves far too much gratuitous screaming and profanity spoils the overall gentle tone of the piece. (Allan Radcliffe)
I Almost Forever But (Fringe) Sal/y Vaughan and Richard Jordan, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 28 Aug, £8. 50/£ 9. 50
(£7. 50/£8. 50).
THEATRE PREVIEW
Almost Forever But *** Love against the odds
Robert Farquar's new comedy about the relationship between a woman and a man half her age works most effectively in its quieter moments. The burgeoning affair is warmly depicted, funny and moving, if occasionally bordering on the cheesy (the couple
Melvyn Hayes stays mum in Saved By Sex