LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL Alice in Wonderland and Other Adventures With Lewis Carroll ●●●●● Actor Richard Smithies looks ‘surprisingly like’ Lewis Carroll says the Fringe catalogue – unfortunately, this is where the positives end. The songs are badly sung to midi backing tracks, the costume ill-fitting, the delivery stilted and crucial episodes in the Alice saga are skipped over entirely. The sole infant attending the same performance as The List slept through the latter half – a wise move on her part. (Niki Boyle) New Town Theatre, 220 0143, until 28 Aug (not 16), 11.30am, £7–£8 (£5–£6). At The Sans Hotel ●●●●● Being invited to ‘come feel from the front’ of the stage is indicative of a bohemian love-in, but At the Sans Hotel is instead a sophisticated exploration of the form/content dichotomy. The play balances large ideas of perceived reality with humour and charisma and references to Sontag’s German tourist, the dramatic arc and lack of a ‘resolution’ all make this play a very intelligent and thoroughly self-relexive performance. (Tammy Le Vasan) Assembly Hall, 623 3000, until 28 Aug (not 15), 7.20pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Belt Up’s The Boy James ●●●●● The Boy James, loosely based on the childhood of JM Barrie, begins with childish enthusiasm but gradually moves into more sinister ground, and ends with no firm resolution. Although the acting and script occasionally falter, the effect is one of well-constructed and well- executed drama. James doesn’t reach the highs of some of Belt Up’s earlier Fringe successes, but it’s a worthwhile addition to their canon. (Niki Boyle) C Soco, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug, 10.50pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£8.50–£10.50). The Billie Holiday Story ●●●●● Under the pretence of a gig, actress Nina Kristofferson uses the ‘stage patter’ sections of the show to provide narrative about the singer’s tragic life, whilst nailing down Holiday’s voice and mannerisms. Enjoyable insight into a unique talent, plagued by men, drugs, racism and the law. (Lauren Mayberry) Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 14 Aug, 5.45pm, £14 (£13). The Dipper ●●●●● What should have been the sting in The Dipper’s tail is inexplicably revealed in one of the very first moves anyone makes in this show, rendering the next 40 minutes pointless. A convoluted set-up results in a well to- do housewife cum jewel thief befriending her maid’s convict sister. Utter nonsense ensues and the sudden ending misses the mark completely. (Kirstyn Smith) Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, 557 5830, until 12 Aug, 4pm, free. Dream Pill ●●●●● Based on real experiences, this minimalist performance focuses on two young girls trafficked from Nigeria. The two actresses adopt child-like language and mannerisms to provide a poignant insight into the unsettling reality of sex work in the UK. (Lauren Mayberry) Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 28 Aug (not 15), 4.05pm, £8–£9 (£7–£8). Dr Apple’s Last Lecture ●●●●● Depicting a drug trip live on stage was always going to be challenge. But in this
Reviews at a Glance {THEATRE}
tale of an uptight psychology professor deciding to expand his consciousness, the end result is self-indulgent rather than revelatory. Many of the play’s images are striking, and the acting is energetic, but ultimately you’re left wondering what point it’s trying to make. (David Kettle) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 28 Aug, 2.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Generation 9/11: So Far / So Close ●●●●● Don’t let the subject put you off. This is a captivating and quietly profound one-man show by San Franciscan Chris Wolfe that refracts 9/11 through the memories of ordinary people, right up to the present day. He’s a charismatic performer, and his characterisation is strong and bold, yet finely etched. At times the show is shocking, at others funny, and Wolfe isn’t afraid to challenge his audience’s preconceptions. (David Kettle) theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, 0845 508 8515, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 1.05pm, £7 (£6). Life Still ●●●●● A wordless piece of dystopian object theatre, worth seeing for the incredible technical skill on show alone. The two performers bring life to the most obscure and simple objects, creating mesmeric images of intriguing originality. Abstract and sometimes just a little too po-faced, the show disturbs and disorients with a series of strange vignettes that evoke a post-apocalyptic world. (Laura Ennor) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug (not 16, 25), 3.40pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). The Magical Faraway Tree ●●●●● If you’re looking for a family- friendly rendering of an Enid Blyton tale, beware – this isn’t it. Instead, the supremely silly boys of Sleeping Trees Theatre have concocted a multi-character comedy with only the slenderest of roots lodged in Blytonian soil. The pacing is frantic, the actors quick-witted and the language occasionally profane – and so much the better for it. (Niki Boyle) Just The Tonic at the Caves, 556 5375, until Sun 28 (not 17), 1pm, £4 (£3). Minute After Midday ●●●●● Pared-down performances resonate here as three very different stories are told, in overlapping monologues, from the day the Omagh bombing devastated Ireland. A young survivor, a widow, and the driver who left the car bomb on Lower Market Street, relive the moments before and after the attack, to poignant effect. (Anna Millar) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug (not 16), 1.30pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Nobody’s Home: A Modern Odyssey ●●●●● Confined to his bathroom (and his own mind), returning soldier Grant battles war-born demons, which parallel the perils faced by Ulysses, tussling with wife Penny (who doubles as Homer’s monsters) for firm mental ground. Excellently devised and performed by Dorie Kinnear and Will Pinchin, this is a powerful portrayal of mental illness, by turns shockingly funny and devastatingly moving, and always compelling. (Suzanne Black) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug (not 16, 23), 1.15pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). The Oh Fuck Moment ●●●●● We’re ushered into a boardroom where two performers join us in discussing horrifying human errors, from the embarrassingly rude, through the sexually ill-fated, and on to the physically terminal. This is an uneasily entertaining afternoon of reflection on human frailty that teaches us not to beat ourselves up too much, and no doubt provokes further anecdotes afterwards from an audience who are encouraged to fess up to their social toe-curlers. (Steve Cramer) St George’s West, 225 7001, until 29 Aug (not 17, 24), £10 (£8). One Night Stan ●●●●● This excellent one-man show written and performed by Miles Gallant dramatises the life of Stanley Jefferson aka Stan Laurel of. With his partner taken ill on the penultimate week of their 1954 UK tour, Stan looks back on his career, from its beginnings in a Glasgow variety hall through his move to America to make movies with Ollie and back to the variety circuit again. Highly informative and beautifully performed, it’s a funny-sad showcase for one half of the greatest comedy duo ever. (Miles Fielder) Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 29 Aug, 3.45pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10). One Under ●●●●● This energetic piece of devised theatre looks beneath the sweat and stress of the cramped carriages to unearth the inner lives of people travelling on the London Underground. Their stories are variously poetic and passionate, and although the fellow travellers remain distant from one another, there’s a final moment of connection that provides light at the end of tunnel. (Miles Fielder) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug (not 15, 23), 12.45pm, £7.50–£8.50 (£6–£7). Radio Deluxembourg ●●●●● A parodic retro-kitsch adventure in which a sibling pop duo are kidnapped by an evil alien overlord and forced to perform radio plays on his intergalactic frequency could work, but here it doesn’t. The cast of four look weary and barely in on the joke, but the main culprit is an utterly unfunny script. (Laura Ennor) Spotlites @ The Merchants’ Hall, 220 5911, until 29 Aug, 7.40pm, £9.50 (£8.50). Remembering Annabel ●●●●● Riding high on the critical success of their 2010 show Pale Moon, the young members of Cathartic Connections chose to adapt Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee as their follow-up. While there are clever flashes of humour, much of the plotting feels messy and unfocused, and the acting lacks subtlety. There’s a great show in the company, but this unfortunately isn’t it. (Niki Boyle) theSpaces on North Bridge, 0845 557 6308, until 13 Aug, 3.05pm, £7.50 (£5). Roar ●●●●● If you want your ‘sexy romp’ boxes ticked, this is the place to do it. Dumbshow’s Roar is a stylish, exuberant tale of gin-soaked 17th- century wenches led by a ‘Moll Cutpurse’ channelling Beyoncé in full-on she-lion mode. Bawdy, slick and unselfconsciously anachronistic in their deployment of everything from Wild Beasts to a joke about David Cameron, they create a show that is frequently hilarious but not without emotion. (Laura Ennor) C Chambers Street, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug (not 16), 8.45pm, £9.50–£11.50 (£7.50–£9.50).
The Seagull Effect ●●●●● It’s raining on the way to Idle Motion’s The Seagull Effect, setting the audience up to appreciate a play about small but consequential events in the world and the weather. Unfortunately the performance is similarly damp with overly literal metaphors and unnecessarily dramatic score and direction. However, the experience is elevated by the enthusiasm of the players and some clever visual techniques. (Tammy Le Vasan) Zoo Roxy, 662 6892, until 27 Aug (not 16, 23), 4.20pm, £10 (£8). Shhh: The Musical ●●●●● There is little doubting the enthusiasm of this young cast, as they do their best with a ‘romcom’ script about finding love in a bookshop. Sadly their energy is largely wasted on a script lacking in originality and punch. The characters are roundly unlikeable, side stories are left hanging and the songs are totally forgettable. Shhh just about covers it. (Anna Millar) theSpaces @ Venue 45, 0845 508 8387, until 13 Aug, 8.10pm, £7 (£6). Sideshow ●●●●● Surrounded by the paraphernalia of the freakshow, Robert Ingham (Lewis Davidson) reminisces on his life as an oddity and the world behind the velvet curtain. Switching between biography and sideshow acts, Davidson’s one-man show plays out like the pitch of a long-winded Coney Island barker, with the only levity coming from a brief trapeze interlude. There’s an awful lot of build up for very little pay-off. (Suzanne Black) C ECA, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug (not 15), 3.20pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£7.50). Slavery to Star Trek ●●●●● Andreea Kindryd has lived a fascinating life. She knew Martin Luther King, was friends with Malcolm X and worked on the original Star Trek series. She’s an engaging storyteller whose tale starts in the days of her great grandparents and slavery, progresses through the civil rights movement of the 60s before finding work at Lucille Ball’s production company. The ending feels rushed but only because you get the feeling there are so many stories left untold. (Henry Northmore) C ECA, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug (not 16), 4.20pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–-£8.50). Terezin: Children of the Holocaust ●●●●● Writer Anna Smulowitz, who lost relatives in the Holocaust, presents a fictionalised account of a concert performed at Czech concentration camp Terezin. Using a revolving cast of youngsters to portray the daily suffering of camp internees the piece struggles and ultimately fails to convey the emotional weight of an unspeakable atrocity. (Suzanne Black) theSpaces on the Mile, 0845 508 8316, until 20 Aug (not 14), 1.40pm, £8 (£6). Toulouse-Lautrec: The Musical ●●●●● Toulouse Lautrec’s life was a colourful one, worthy of musical exploration, and this Japanese company’s dedication is admirable, in a one-man show, helmed by performer Jun Sawaki. But while he gives his all to the piece, it lacks the pace and musical gravitas to make it truly memorable. (Anna Millar) C Aquila, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug, 4.10pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50). 11–18 Aug 2011 THE LIST 85
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