list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL THEATRE
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CAN'T STOP CAN'T STOP Tough honesty on a personal condition ●●●●●
FAMOUS PUPPET DEATH SCENES Beautiful puppetry with horror and laughs ●●●●● PROVIDENCE A biography of a racist horror legend ●●●●●
Few Fringe shows this year can be rawer or more unflinchingly honest than Sam Ross’ sometimes harrowing examination of his own obsessive compulsive disorder. It doesn’t make for an easy watch, but it’s a compelling, illuminating experience, even if it offers few easy solutions. Performed in the round, Ross’ solo show explores
current research and thinking into the condition – the division into obsessions and compulsions, the misfiring in the brain to cause them, how talking therapy sets about helping. But he places the theory within his own experience: how his condition began (and its surprising source), and most importantly the ticks and incessantly repeated actions that, provoked by unlikely factors, invade his everyday life. It’s not all about relentless hand-washing. Ross also consistently blurs the line between performance and reality: at times it’s as if the show itself is being interrupted by his unavoidable actions.
There are a few laughs, and a well-dispatched song. But this is a serious, confrontational hour that feels as much like therapy for its performer, and challenging elucidation for its audience, as it does straightforward entertainment. (David Kettle) ■ C royale, until 27 Aug (not 13, 17, 20, 24), 4.35pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£4.50–£5.50).
The title says it all, really. From psychedelic German kids’ show Das Bipsy und Mumu Puppenspiel to the rotund everyman in Nordo Frot’s The Feverish Heart, by way of a stylised Japanese suicide, the fall of a dictator and masses more, Calgary’s Old Trout Puppet Workshop brings together a showcase of the most iconic puppet death scenes in theatre history. Heard of them? Of course not. They’re all invented by Old Trout’s master manipulators, in a bewildering succession of episodes, mostly hilarious, but sometimes tragic, poignant, even downright beautiful. Occasionally they dare the audience to laugh. This is a very clever show, at once extremely funny
in the horribly inventive ways in which Old Trout’s puppeteers dispatch their lovingly crafted creations, while also an astute reflection on death itself – its horrors, its comedy, even its simple mundanity. It’s breathtaking how much work has gone into Old Trout’s dozens of puppet creations, often on stage for just a few moments before their bizarre ends, though inevitably some scenes are stronger than others. For some gleeful mid-evening schadenfreude, and some beautifully delivered puppetry, Famous Puppet Death Scenes is a thought-provoking delight. (David Kettle) ■ CanadaHub @ King’s Hall, until 26 Aug (not 13, 20), 8.30pm, £11 (£9).
Despite battling with one of the hottest rooms in the Fringe, Dominic Allen and Simon Maeder frequently conjure up a cold, dank and dark atmosphere in this biography of HP Lovecraft that is rich on psychological analysis. Beginning in laughter, Lovecraft is visited by the lively and egotistic ghost of Edgar Allan Poe. Slowly, Lovecraft’s nastier opinions unfold, and are related to the horrors that would become the Chthulu Mythos – a fictional universe shared with his literary successors, based upon his writings. Lovecraft’s racism is well known, and Providence
does not flinch from this. Racing through his eccentric childhood, attempts to become an amateur journalist, his marriage, and abortive travels away from his hometown, Allen and Maeder draw explicit links between his life and work. Oppressive lighting and disturbing visitations from Lovecraft’s library of heroes suggest that the Chthulu Mythos reflects – or anticipates – the chaos of the late 20th century.
The tone is sometimes uneven, yet towards the end, the structure becomes dream-like and delirious, conjuring the unsettling aura that Lovecraft manages to surround his stories with. (Gareth K Vile) ■ Assembly Rooms, until 25 Aug (not 13), 5pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
WHEN YOU FALL DOWN: THE BUSTER KEATON STORY Buster Keaton musical lovingly covers the highs and lows of a Hollywood great ●●●●●
James Dangerfield’s one-man musical show When You Fall Down tells the story of an all time comedy great. More than simply a tribute to someone he’s clearly in awe of, Dangerfield’s show focuses on artistic integrity and the importance of sticking to a vision. The show introduces Keaton – a seasoned stage performer
from a young age – as someone suspicious of the camera. His conversion to the technology and his mastery of it follows shortly after, with the majority of the hour focusing on a ten- year period where Keaton made some of the most influential pictures of all time, ambitious and groundbreaking independent comedies.
Not satisfying the moneymen, those glory years ended with an ill-fated MGM partnership. Dangerfield is a terrific Keaton, bringing a wide-eyed sense of wonder to this intimate show. A song about The General and its iconic train chase scene is a highlight, and there’s a change of pace in material about the decline of his marriage to Natalie Talmadge and the murder charges levelled against his mentor Roscoe Arbuckle. For the latter, Dangerfield focuses on Keaton’s loyalty to his friend during this major Hollywood scandal.
The non-musical moments aren’t as strong; unless you’re in the front row, watching Dangerfield draw for a few minutes is a dull experience, and the pay off isn’t worth it – but it’s a minor complaint. When You Fall Down is an enjoyable hour. Fans of Buster Keaton will lap it up, and the uninitiated will find a new career to explore. (Craig Angus) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug (not 14), 12.05pm, £9–£9.50 (£8–£9).
8–15 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 93