FESTIVAL FEATURES | Korean Season
Tago: Korean Drum II Singsing Bathtub and Fernando, the Space Elephant
SNAP 30 THE LIST FESTIVAL 4–11 Aug 2016
‘Cutie Chef’), but they occasionally break out into i ts of uncontrolled and well choreographed rage, creating a winningly silly tone that’s part Hello Kitty, part Mortal Kombat. In Seoul, the Chef team occasionally plays up to i ve performances a day, two for the public and an additional three for school outings. But when I joke that Edinburgh (with only one performance a day) will be a ‘break’ for them, they disagree: the additional slog of l yering and promoting your show makes things more exhausting, but exciting too. Whether the gloriously batshit antics of Chef will win over Fringe audiences is yet to be seen but, with the 500-seater George Square Theatre at their disposal, they’ve got a great arena to play to.
Elsewhere in the Korean Season, there’s Singsing Bathtub and Fernando, The Space Elephant, a musical show for kids age four and up that’s won awards in Korea for its heartwarming tale of friendship and interstellar travel. For its Edinburgh run, it’s being translated into English. Binari also joins the bill; told through the Korean tradition of ‘gut’, it uses masks, songs and dance to tell the story of a woman who dies alone without feeling any resolution in her life. And if you were at the Edinburgh International Magic Festival last month, you might have caught a few of the performers in SNAP at the Magic Gala; in this Fringe offering, eight illusionists showcase a variety of tricks and feats, with plenty of humour thrown in as well. The i fth show in the Korean Season this year is Tago: Korean Drum II. Note the number at the end – if you were at the Fringe in 2011, you might remember Tago’s i rst outing which involved a cast of several dancers and drummers. This year’s show has been stripped back to just seven drummers, but it’s just as loud and more powerful. I caught a sneak preview in Seoul and, even in the unadorned coni nes of Tago’s rehearsal space, it’s an onslaught of primal beats and mesmerising dance that drips with the charm of its sensational performers. This team, who practice 12 hours a day, make some of their own instruments and have decades of drumming experience behind them – one of them has even played in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It’s a smooth combination of traditional and contemporary rhythms and choreography that displays – alongside the other shows in the season – just how much artistic talent Korea is bringing to the festival this August.
Chef: Come Dine With Us, Assembly George Square Theatre, 623 3030, 6–29 Aug (not 15), 4pm, £12.50–£14.50 (£10.50–£12.50). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £8.50.
Singsing Bathtub and Fernando, the Space Elephant, Assembly George Square Studios, 623 3030, 6–29 Aug (not 15, 22), 12.15pm, £10–£11 (£9). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £7.
Binari, Assembly Hall, 623 3030, 6–29 Aug (not 22), noon, £12–£13 (£11–£12). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £8. SNAP, Assembly George Square Theatre, 623 3030, 6–29 Aug (not 15, 22), 1.20pm, £12–£14 (£11–£13). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £7.
Tago: Korean Drum II, Assembly Hall, 623 3030, 6–29 Aug (not 17), 2.55pm, £12–£13 (£11–£12). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £8.