Theatre
ARUBA Absurd and inventive comedy 00000
Aruba is an idyllic Caribbean island where the sun always shines and the water’s crystal clear. 80 it’s fitting that the show is a glimpse of flawless wonder. There’s nothing technically dazzling or breathtakingly spectacular about this show and it doesn’t say anything new or profound: it may not be big but it’s most definitely clever. Devised with and scripted by playwright Rob Evans and performed in a Porto cabin at the Pleasance, with no set and little space, this is one of those gems that you simply must see.
Three actors recreate the bustle of city life with tireless physicality. Reified to the verge of insanity, each character seeks escape in the utopia that is Aruba. Mark’s (Ben Lewis) job has rendered him incapable of communicating in anything but advertising jargon, fitness instructor Darren (Kieran Fay) is determined to deny the aging process and Nikki (Sophie Fletcher), a travel agent, dreams of a paradise far removed from the monotony of her lonely world.
Moving through the three stories, the performers are exceptionally inventive with Rob Evan’s absurdly comic script, exaggerating the physical and verbalising sound effects in the multitude of characters they so ingeniously create. An upbeat soundtrack boosts the momentum, varying to compliment the changing speed of the action. There‘s little else to indicate changes in character aside from the odd pair of earrings or glasses, and often a switch of accent, with simple noises acting as effective signifiers for a new locale. Our understanding of the rapid character transformations is reliant on the hypnotic talent of the performers.
It’s a strange nightmarish world, where there’s an age limit on trendy shoes, telesales callers quiz you on your preferred suicide option and you get fat from breathing too much air. There are moments when the mundane and grotesque border on weird and confusing, such as Darren hugging his colleague Tina only to crush her and break her bones. But the silly humour is very much part of the style. Satirising our obsession with image, the piece whispers comment on consumerism and escapism in modern society. Above all it’s the sophistication of absurdist technique, surprisingly original and delightful in every instant, which makes this show stand out. Embrace the zany and enjoy: this is nothing short of superb. (Claire Piela) I Pleasance Courtyard. 556 (55:30. until 25) Aug (not 17). 2.45pm, f‘8-f‘9 (5‘660— 5.7.50).
URSULAJHARTMflflh-OAP Pensioner pondering 0000
Ursula Martine/ has a deep fear. one that is eating away at her youth and her life: the fear of old age. ller angst. she admits. is rather superficial. She doesn't virant to look SINl‘JC‘HCd. stooped or wrinkled. or even worse still so unappealing that nobody Wlfl fanCy or want to kiss her.
Now here's a show that truly taps into an issue that we all at some stage of our lives shove firmly to the back of our minds. In a theatrical lecture-style presentation. Martinex exposes. tackles and gets to the heart of all the associated taboos of old age With comical and yet pOignant honesty. Film footage of pensioners articulating truths about their stage in life illuminates loneliness. sexual encounters. loss of independence and a new-found liberation in not haying to please others. In an effort to 'get in touch with her inner pensioner'. she comes face to face Wllfi her aged self i'Eve Pearce).
Martinez is a powerfth engaging performer who has. in this show. turned her own somewhat self- indulgent obsession into a compeliing and often highly amusing. unigue examination of reality. Standing beside her older 'self'. we observe the transformation of physicality and mentality: taught becomes saggy. alert becomes hazy. confident becomes comfortably bewildered. We laugh, we squirm but most of all. on a cornpeilwg and somewhat terrifying level. we acknowledge the inevitability of life. iMichelle Macintyrei I Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. until 28 Aug root 22/. 53.35pm, f‘lttf‘ll r519- f‘IOi
ENOLA
Powerful drama about the atomic bomb 0...
Hiding in the dark clamminess of the Underbelly caves. Enola is a must-see show. Sharing her name With the plane that dropped the atomic bomb. Enola the protagonist is an innocent young American. Armed With powerful imagery. Kandinsky theatre company
35> [\‘iikl ('4 Sit .‘
force us to confront the history we only ever skim the surface of. It (ZOtlld simply be another war drama: the ability to hook an audience but never alienate them ensures it isn't. This play proves that 60 years on Hiroshima stil! haunts. Set in insular suburbia in Kansas State. where nuclear weapons were born. Al Smith's brilliant new play Juxtaposes innocence wth destruction. Enola iEllie Brucel is sweet and saw-:2. symbolis ng the blamelessiiess of Hiroshima's Victims as she infatches 'ie" scientist friends make secret plans. the play is an examination of tne events leading up to building the bomb. interspersed Wltl‘i a reporter's details of the aftermath. It also attacks the rig :i h. of Catl‘ioiicisn‘i in small town America. A series of short military meetings cliiitax with the event and James Yeatnutns description of the nuclear spectacle to the song ‘Ave Maria' llliiKOS for a gut punching finale. When Eno'a nainispers 'What have you (l<>rie’?'. the scale of something so irrevocable 's immense“, unsettling. iClaire Pielai I Smirnoff Baby Bel/ii: 0870' 711:3 .‘i‘Oéi‘Ji’. until 28 Aug. 72. IOp/n. $718 515- i'v.
BREAKFASTIUHAUDREYEB An evocative and moving performance 000.
The air-brushed perfection of celebrated role models pressures each of us to obsess over image more than we'd care to admit. For the modern woman. to be young and slim is an ideal which is hard to avoid. regardless of whether you choose to conform to it. John Binnie's diama cleverly combines the life of Audrey Hepburn with that of Holly an adoring fan in present day Glasgow who has an eating disorder.
Philippa Vafadai‘i gracefully performs With a trape/e hoop. emphasising Hepburn's elegance and both her and Holly's isolation. The two lives are- delicately interwoven; the star's anorexia is mirrored by the girls. as each becomes more psycliologically and physically ill. But it's also an exploration of the mother daughter bond: Baroness Ella Van Heemstra iCara Kelly) lives out her ideals through hei star daughter. while l lolly 's mum touchinegalternates between tenderness and desperation. Essentially. it's the strength of these relationships which reinforces survixai. Musical numbers are beautifully mimed and when the final rendition of 'Moon River" drifting through the auditorium ensures there's not a tl.’\ eye in the house. (Claire Pielai I (Si/(fed BaHoo/f Tevrot. {$68 lti.’i’.’i‘, until 28 Aug. 5.30pm. 5‘3) 5‘70 0‘8 5‘5);
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