Theatre
DEEP THROAT LIVE ON STAGE Garfield gets sweaty with porn .00.
Above all, Simon Garfield’s reflection on the lives of Linda Lovelace and her co-star Harry Reams in the eponymous skin flick is great fringe theatre. It continually entertains through the midnight hour and at no point outstays its welcome.
Alex Lowe plays Reams, and appears as a faded, wasted, outrageously costumed figure of the 80s, telling the story of his early life as a struggling Broadway actor, and his sideways move into the porn industry. Katherine Parkinson plays Lovelace, through her several manifestations from starlet to abused woman to repentant ambiguity. In a sense it’s a docu-drama, with some nice timing and a good line in bathetic comedy, which cleverly plays upon the ambiguity it creates. Just as we are laughing at the outrageous antics and exaggerated claims of the characters, some manifestation of the genuine seediness and inherent tragedy of the porn industry appears, strangling our
giggles.
There’s a brief moment of nudity, but only the most sensitive would be troubled by this. What’s more liable to disbar those of a sensitive disposition is the general language, yet even this fascinates as much as it offends. The performers are agile of wit and movement, and the seedy design captures the spirit of the theme. Garfield has the journalist’s endless fascination with trivia, so with each sequence another fascinating unknown detail emerges. Did you know Harry Reams was nearly in Grease? Most of all, it’s a good night out, if not for all the
family. (Steve Cramer)
I Assembly Rooms, 226 2428, until 26 Aug (not 8. 20). midnight, f IO—L‘ l 7
(29—270).
cynicism knows no bounds. and a cameraman in pursuit of the heavy fighting, with whom our heroine has a brief liaison. There's much of interest in Walsh‘s story. in terms of its treatment of the contemporary media. but the emotional story is a little stale and predictable. A good performance. though. and worth a watch for those interested in the issues. (Steve Cramer)
I Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. until 26 Aug. 4.05pm, {IQ—£70 (LB—£9).
SHUT EYE Pig Iron go to dreamland .000
Joseph Chaikin's whimsical comedy starts with a woman visiting her brother in hospital after a car crash. As she sits by her sibling who's in a coma. a woman passes looking for a sleep
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72 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 8—1:") Aug 2002
analysis laboratory. and we kick into a succession of episodic and appealineg giiirky sketches around the theme of getting some kip.
From accordion players bashing out implausible theme songs. to chorus girls. to Gilbert and Sullivan numbers, music and physical business combine to create a weird but endlessly engaging succession of variations on a theme. This is an intelligently appealing and nicely paced piece. with no great claims to make
about itself. just a commitment to entertainment.
lSteve Cramer)
I Traverse Theatre. 228 1404, until 24 Aug (not 72. 79). times vary. £74 (£8.50).
PROJECT 9/1 1
New York’s tragedy 0...
One of the most important productions surrounding the l 1 September attacks this year comes from a group of talented young NYC actors who have created a piece of physical theatre based on their own personal experiences of the event. Relying only on body. movement and spoken word. they portray the chaos. numbness. guilt and the naivete which they. and others. encountered on that day.
From a relatives relief that a loved one's safe. to a woman whose irrational nicotine craving is her only method of coping. this hard-hitting and inevitably emotional piece brings out the realisation that it's okay to have individual responses to the tragedy. however unconventional or wrong they may appear. (Mererid Williams)
I Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. until 26 Aug. 77am. ClO—Ell
(CS—£7 70/.
BAOBABS DON’T GROW HERE
An African journey .000
Believing the myth that a child born under the South African baobab fruit tree will grow to be stronger. parents-to-be lshka and Matik embark on a iOurney across Africa in search of this wonder. only to discover that it's closer to their hearts than they first thought.
Trained at Jacques Lecog School in France. the two intelligent clown-like performers use physical theatre. mime. puppetry and live accordion music to create landscape. enVironment. community and love. This is a tender piece of work which combines ambition. naivete. dreams and innocence to form a touching story
of love and loss. Questioning the concepts of ‘home' and 'away'. where it's unclear where the grass grows greener. this is a sweet exploration of the self as a cultural product. Recommended. (Mererid Williams;
I Gilded Balloon Teviot. 226 2 75 7. until 26 Aug (not 73. 20). 72.45pm. 57.504660 ($660—$760).
SNATCHES Lewinski and Tripp merely chat 0.
There's an inherent fascination. deepite the prurience. to eavesdropping on the conversations of Monica Lewrnski and Linda Tripp as prologue to Clinton's great presidential scandal. But this two—woman show doesn't for most of its length get beyond our fascination for the words themselves. Despite a great deal of physical business from two plainly very able performers. as they wrap themselves around chairs mid- telephone conversation. there's still an element of transcript to the play. The characters don't emerge beyond the portly bimbo and tabloid snake we imagine. although there's a finale which does raise the emotional tempo a little. Generally. though. strictly for scandal- mongers. (Steve Cramer) I Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. until 26 Aug (not 8, I3. 20/. 2.15017), 5370—577 1 (SQ—£70).
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THE BLUE ORPHAN
Fringe First winners calm the storm
It’s almost prophetic when you think about it - a play at the Fringe about stormy weather. Talking from slightly sunnier climes in Canada. artistic director Heather Redfern notes the irony. ‘We’ve been having a heat wave
' over here and then
yesterday all of a sudden we get frost warnings - someones trying to break us in for you guys in Scotland!’
Catalyst returns to the fest with this musical epic fresh from their Fringe First/Herald Angel win last year. ‘lt's nerve wracking, especially when our reputation proceeds us — but truly it’s a stunningly beautiful piece.’
Telling the story of a young boy’s first day in the world. having been brought up in an orphanage, The Blue Orphan is a tender tale of fate. broken dreams and what it means to be human in the face of tragedy.
So do they have award expectations? ‘Absolutely not. You never expect it —- but when it happens it's a gift.‘ (Anna Millar) I Traverse, 228 1404, 13—24 Aug (not 19), times vary, £14 (£8.50).