Ilium
Book Festival www.edbookfest.co.uk
Fn'nge www.edfn'nge.co.uk lntemational Festival www.eif.co.uk Film Festival www.edfilmfest.co.uk
TRUST BYRON Lording it 000
HIMJH'N} ana, ” e ’,’ii/.‘/‘:i/) i‘YUl'l it“: Ui’f,‘ of the riot/l, ’li'graceful l orrl Byioi‘g Hall Uostgan a cornrnarudu r; reincarnaticr of the man who lived for the highs, the lows but never for the in bets/eeiis, In the intlinate setting of the l’leasance Cavern, (Lostigai is salaciously charming as he ietells Byron's greatest work of fiction: his life. Although the show drags a little towards its close. ()ostigan retains a vigour worthy of the poet himself. Meet him in a bar and chances are he'll have you reaching for you coat in no time. but give him a stage and Byron knows how to fill it. (Come Mills) I Pleasance Courtyard. 556 (5550, 4—29 Aug (not 70, 77), 7.40pm, l‘t‘i—f‘f) (f_‘(5.50—£‘7..)()).
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Pants without pants .0
It's truly astonishing that four fit and good looking young people getting their kit off can become so arduous and monotonous over a mere two hours. But in this adaptation of De Sade's Philosophy of the BOud/Our even With its multimedia proiection of pornographic film (you get to see a horse haVing sex With a woman and a talking penis. if that’s your bag) there's a relentless tedium to the tale of the
Bima and Bramati, Traverse
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Lorna" b, a inc 9‘ {J‘J‘Xy lli)‘;ril'l€;‘) A “:3.’ plants are used :‘c' audience liéililfgllfitti’ffl but gixen that the performers could surel, be sued for sexual assault if these people rlon't sign consent forms, you needn't worry about being pulled on stage. Worry. instead. about staying awake. (Steve Craineii I lesance Courtyard. 556 (55:30, unti/ 7-1 Aug. 8pm, $.20 II‘ 8.50;.
JULIE BURCHILL IS AWAY West End sell-out hits Fringe 000
Tim Fountains West End hit makes its debut at the Fringe. arriVing in the capable hands of Jackie Clune. who by now has her characterisation of The Guardian's infamous columnist down to the proverbial T. Fountain has performed some minor surgery to update the show. which takes the form of a monologue delivered by the aCid-tongued iconoclast and self- proclaimed hedonist to the audience from her Brighton home. And a funny, Witty monologue it is. too — Burchill is unable to file her column because she‘s broken the letter 'I' on her laptop keyboard — which makes it a safe bet at the Fringe.
(Miles Fielder)
I Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. untr/ 30 Aug (not 9. 76), 4050/77.
97 7—72 (’flO—l ll.
76 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 5-12 Aug ECG-1
UBU DISCO Absurdist classic for the karaoke generation .00.
airfieithes s ie‘f“; i'iar'ter 2’ : _.‘. E31 Farce tat"! Skull’fagrie'z'. of Alfred .Jar". ita. c|e.e'i, actr'enrs atliiiiiatrle‘ew ‘ outrageous 'lmlust \"Jhile sta,iti«; faith?» f.) tJair‘fs Fil,l<7.1'l'i for”; this production utilises karaoke and the iinplierl .ulgarit. of p it. to convey its i.'.'|.‘)i‘.‘li
story i-roin the start. verbose hilaritly is the order of the day. and the slick. perfectly paced scenes never fail to raise the reguisite laughs. Original. inventive and utterly good fun. the oblique political metaphors are still there. making this an eye—opening modern satire ‘.‘/lil‘. a very sharp edge. (Gareth Daviesl
I Smirnoff Underbe/h’. ()8 70 74:3 3083. until 29 Aug (not 77,,
7 1.55pm, 5‘7.5()—5‘8.:3() t5‘(5.:3()—5,‘7.:3()i.
BIMA AND BRAMATI Ward to tears 00
The idea of peeple entrapped in small interiors only able to escape through flights of the imagination is a staple of both fiction and drama. Here the devuce is realised through two folks on life Support in a grim hOSpital ward. Trapped Within this small room they dream of an escape to the Window in the corridor. The strange. suSpended contraptions used to represent the machines to which these two characters are attached Suggest the dehumanisation of people by medical technology very cleverly. and the play is well acted. But the dialogue is flat and unimaginative. E3|lO‘.‘/lllg for neither empathy nor hostility towards the characters. and ultimately rendering the play itself quite tedious. lSteve Cramerl
I Traverse Theatre. 228 7404. Lina/26 Aug. times vary. $8 $4.50;
WHEN THE BUL BUL STOPPED SINGING Simple tales of suffering O...
The wonder of a newly politically conscious theatre is the diversity of voices it creates. From shrewd metaphor to grotesque agit prop, to poetic social commentary, all are available at this Fringe. The wonder of David Greig’s adaptation of Raja Shehadeh's book of recollections of the intifadah is its bare simplicity.
In it Christopher Simon plays Raja, who speaks of a month of suffering during the Israeli occupation of Ramallah. In it he goes through not just the ugly fantasticalness of seeing tanks and troops occupying what is an ostensible middle class suburb, but also the small domestic detail, the everyday inconvenience of losing electricity and water. It’s a peculiar effect, which works well, this documentation of suffering on a grand scale, combined with simple tales of substituting flowers from the garden for those of the now out of bounds hills.
The bare simplicity, the everyday matter of factness of Simon’s delivery is what givers his Palestinian former human rights lawyer trying to finish a novel so much power. Anthony Macllwaine's design, a minimalist, poorish middle class room, with more lurid images of the world outside projected on a screen, is also very affecting, while Philip Howard directs with a unaffected hand, showing a sure sense of pace, and faith in his script. Altogether, a very astuter worked and quietly affecting piece of theatre. (Steve Cramer)
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