FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews at a Glance REVIEWS AT A GLANCE
For full length versions of these reviews, see list.co.uk/festival
ABOVE THE MEALY-MOUTHED SEA ●●●●● Performance poet Jemima Foxtrot leads this one woman show revolving around the theme of growing up and the stories we choose to tell. Set on a monochrome background and sandy floor, the play relies on lighting to signal changes of narratives. It is a clever trick but doesn’t provide enough clarity for the overly convoluted structure. (Adeline Amar) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 16), 2pm, £9 (£8).
BABA BRINKMAN’S RAP GUIDE TO CONSCIOUSNESS ●●●●● Fringe stalwart Baba Brinkman is no stranger to controversial or intellectual subject matter. In his latest effort, the Fringe First-winner has consciousness on his mind, as he delves into the many unanswered questions surrounding topics currently dividing the scientific community. Relevant, educational, and a huge amount of fun. (Jordan Shaw) Assembly George Square, until 28 Aug (not 15), 5.40pm, £9–£10. CATHERINE AND ANITA ●●●●● When a play tackles subjects as weighty as severe mental ill health and paedophilia, the performance must be incredibly strong to carry it to a satisfactory conclusion. These subjects are obviously complex and sensitive. To be handled successfully they require delicacy and compassion. Catherine and Anita offers neither. (Liam Hainey) Assembly George Street, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 9.05pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
DUST ●●●●● In an unflinching examination of a suicide, this stripped- back monologue for one woman inspects the unavoidable practicalities, heart-wrenching decisions and pain – plus the laughter. What could be a bleak monologue is, however, peppered with dry humour through its sharp, quick writing and excellent delivery. (Adeline Amar) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug (not 15), 4.40pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
FIX ●●●●● ‘This is a tale about love and connection. About the bonds within brains. And the bonds between brains.’ So reads the inscrutable flyer for Fix, billed as a ‘unique mix of song, science and soliloquy’ from Worklight Theatre. But it feels like a work in progress that needs a radical re-think before going back before the public. (Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Cowgate until 27 Aug (not 16), 5.40pm, £10.50–£11.50 (£9.50–£10.50). FOREIGN RADICAL ●●●●● A provocative show that tackles difficult contemporary questions head-on. It’s carried off with such slick persuasion that you’ll hardly notice how much you’re giving away, or compromising yourself. Foreign Radical is urgent, timely and necessary. (David Kettle) Canada Hub @ King’s Hall in association with Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22), 1pm, £10 (£8).
GAMES AND AFTER LIVERPOOL ●●●●● Blind Elephant are a youthful collective who are writing and producing this as their third production, and their youthful zest goes a long way to making James Saunders’ work feel vibrant. This double bill is an agreeable blast from the past from an unjustly neglected writer. (Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Med Quad, until Aug 28 (not 15), 11.55am, £9–£10 (£8 -£9).
HERO ●●●●● Right at the start of their ambitious show, Anglo-Icelandic company Rokkur Friggjar immerse us in an authoritarian regime, all bigoted nationalistic anthems and harsh, unforgiving discipline. There’s enormous potential here, but Hero needs its themes and storylines teased apart if they’re to strike home with impact. (David Kettle) Upper Church @ Summerhall hosted by RBC, until 14 Aug, 10am, £8 (£6).
THE MAN ON THE MOOR ●●●●● The show eventually lands a strong central idea; that our lives are held together in a way that’s more fragile than we might imagine. Much like Andrew O’Hagan’s book The Missing, The Man on the Moor shines a light on the darker recesses of modern society. (Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug, 3pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).
A H C A T R A E L U J :
I O T O H P
Siri
(Gareth K Vile) The Hub, until 27 Aug (not 15, 22),10.30pm, £15. NASSIM ●●●●● A charming play around issues of home and language, this follow-up to Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s hugely successful White Rabbit, Red Rabbit follows a similar format: a different actor is selected each night to read unrehearsed Soleimanpour’s words, with surprising results. (Lorna Irvine) Traverse, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), times vary, £19.50 (£16.50).
PETER & BAMBI HEAVEN: WHEN LOVE IS MAGIC ●●●●● Peter and Bambi’s skills don’t lie in producing innovative magic tricks. Instead they win the crowd’s hearts by neatly subverting the tropes that define Las Vegas magic. There are tricks that miss the mark and the humour is certainly crude. It doesn’t really matter though. Peter and Bambi have full command of an enraptured audience. (Liam Hainey) Assembly George Square, until 27 Aug (not 14), 10.35pm, £12–£13.
show that asks us to look again at our increasing reliance on advanced technology, Siri is a brave, thoughtful work. (David Kettle) CanadaHub @ King’s Hall in association with Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 5.30pm, £10 (£8). THE SKY IS SAFE ●●●●● Matthew Zajac’s at times harrowing two-hander looks at the Syrian conflict from a woman’s perspective. Woven in among the dark drama are the agonising testimonies from other Syrian women, forced to betray their husbands, or abused at army checkpoints, or whose infants are the targets of snipers. (David Kettle) Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 7.45pm, £15 (£10).
TAIWAN SEASON: EVER NEVER ●●●●● Taiwan’s Co-coism theatre company beguilingly captures that strange feeling of long-haul air travel in this often beautiful show, with scenes that sometimes seem to evaporate before we can grasp them. But it’s pulled off with nimble gracefulness: this is a gem of a show. (David Kettle) Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 4.25pm, £12 (£10).
WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY! OR, A GUIDE TO MANAGING SOCIAL ANXIETY USING THEORETICAL PHYSICS ●●●●● Josh Lucas is an honest and likeable performer, and watching him take tentative steps across the dance floor towards an invited audience member is a heart-swelling moment. Filled with humour, audience interaction and extravagant dancing, it might not be earth-shattering stuff, but it is lovely nonetheless. (Irina Glinski) ZOO Southside, until 28 Aug, 9.30pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10).
A ROBOT IN HUMAN SKIN ●●●●● Nicole Henriksen has clearly agonised about how to present herself here; the result is a show which goes some way to blowing away the stigma around mental health issues. If that sounds like tough going, Henriksen has the charm to smooth things over. She’s real, she’s raw, and she’s honest to a fault. (Eddie Harrison) Underbelly Med Quad, until 28 Aug (not 15), 8.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
FAG/STAG ●●●●● Best mates Jimmy and Corgan have both dated Tamara. But now she’s getting married to Jack, whom neither of them like. You’re wondering, of course, whether the two guys will themselves get it together – but regardless, the show’s ending is NAME HERE as inevitable as it is joyful. This is a SIRI ●●●●● It’s a slow-developing Some of the best comedy in the Fringe’s first week. Written by: Brian Donaldson Some of the best comedy in the very fine piece of work, frank, tender Fringe’s first week. Written by: Brian Donaldson Some of the best comedy in the Fringe’s first week. Written by: piece that takes its time to ponder and thought-provoking. (David Kettle) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Brian Donaldson Some of the best comedy in the Fringe’s first week. Written by: Brian Donaldson. Donaldson Some its issues, and which – sometimes Aug (not 14), 4pm, £11.50–£12.50 frustratingly – regularly flips back on of the best comedy in the Fringe’s first week. Written by: Brian Donaldson (£10.50–£11.50). itself in a stop-start structure. But as a MEOW MEOW’S LITTLE MERMAID ●●●●● Surprisingly, it is not the show-stopping musical numbers that prove the cabaret superstar’s intelligence, but the theatrical interludes: torn between love and misery. Meow Meow’s charisma lends her monologues a brilliance that many of the songs fail to achieve. Indeed, the cabaret antics are predictable against her witty meditations on love.
96 THE LIST FESTIVAL 10–17 Aug 2017