FESTIVAL THEATRE REVIEWS
THE BEAST Charmingly simple storytelling ●●●●●
Stuart Bowden wants to tell you a story about a beast. His name is Winslow and he lives on the edge of town, just a short helicopter ride away if you happen to have a helicopter. Winslow is a little awkward and a little lonely, one of his prized pos- sessions a pair of bikini bottoms with ‘COWGIRL’ emblazoned across them.
Bowden wants to give you a new friend, in a story that’ll work its way into your soul. With just a ukulele and a loop pedal for company, he tells his tale sim- ply and directly, with complete command of a spell- bound crowd. If at times the ambience tips close to twee, Bowden snatches it back right away with a wry joke or some snappy ukulele work. There are plenty of live original songs that are by turns sweet, funky, funny and sad, accompanying the odd burst of joyous dancing and a narrative that’s part Stig of the Dump, part Where the Wild Things Are and all heart. This show is quietly beauti- ful, a gift. (Charlotte Runcie) ■ Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 26 Aug (not 13), 8.10pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50-£9.50).
THE TRENCH Pitch-perfect evocation of the theatre of war ●●●●●
Les Enfants Terrribles have built a reputation for playfully macabre tales mixing drama, music and inventive staging to create gothic fantasies reminiscent of Tim Burton’s oeuvre. The latest from the company’s writer Oliver Lansley draws on all their accumulated skills to present a story not from the horror genre but the grim realities of war in a pitch-perfect demonstration of atmospheric theatre. As a lost soldier fights his way through a battlefield the monstrosity of his situation manifests in the appearance of demonic elements and a diabolical pact. Taking their cue from the grotesque physicality of life (and death) in the trenches, the actors ooze out of the scenery like maggots from a corpse, the malleable stage enables walls to become roofs to become ground, and the use of expertly-wielded puppets further blurs the line between the animate and the dead. LET’s experience in creating sinister worlds works perfectly with the subject matter to create a devastatingly emotive glimpse into hell on earth.
Counterpoint to the grim action is a melancholic collection of songs specially composed and
played live by Alexander Wolfe, and his haunting, Guy Garvey-esque vocals are worth the ticket price alone. LET have made use in the past of on-stage musicians and instruments incorporated into the set design. Here, rather than a pleasing addition, it is seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the experience and combines with the poetic cadences of Lansley’s Gatling-gun rapid script to provide a fully-fledged realisation of the theatre of war. Focussing on evoking an experience, the production avoids offering necessarily inadequate answers to an event as incomprehensible as WWI. This is no staid remembrance to valorise the fallen. Instead, LET takes the audience down into the mire to prove that the monsters are never far away. (Suzanne Black) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 27 Aug (not 14, 25), 1.10pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).
COALITION Poltical satire with bite behind its bark ●●●●●
The most telling aspect of Robert Kahn and Tom Salinsky’s Coalition is the dedication at the bottom of the programme, citing a ‘special thank you to Nick Clegg, without whom this would have been inconceivable.’
Coalition packs punches; not light, bruising buffs,
but full-power haemorrhage-inducing wallops that bring into question the solidity of the current British government and removing any faith that we might have had in the Tory/Lib Dem love affair. Matt Cooper (Thom Tuck) is the feeble and syco- phantic leader of the Lib Dems, desperately trying to muscle in with the big boys as the relationship between his party and the Conservative Prime Minister disintegrates. The cast alone are worth the ticket price, with Jo Caulfield and Phil Jupitus lend- ing further gravitas to an already impressive perfor- mance from Tuck.
Hilarious, witty and energetic, Coalition is as enter- taining as politics can ever really be. But it has bite behind its bark, choosing political and social issues that would almost be taboo as drama, but that can be publicly explored through comedy. (Jen Bowden) ■ Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 26 Aug (not 13), 2pm, £13.50–£14.50 (£12.50–£13.50).
BLINK Web romance drama’s a real treat ●●●●●
For 40 minutes, Blink tingles. Jonah and Sophie’s peculiar relationship tickles like a feather on a foot or champagne bubbles at the back of your throat. Jonah likes to watch. Sophie needs to be seen.
They fall in love from afar, conducting their peculiar romance through a webcam, comfortably detached from the blemishes of reality. As they drift into the virtual, however, both start to crave something more, something real. She shops online just to receive post. He breathes in bacon sandwiches. Then, to Sophie’s delight, Jonah dares to start stalking her. Mutually unacknowledged dates take place at 50 paces. However, just as they’re about to meet, Phil Porter’s play trips itself up with a sudden unnecessary swerve into cliché. It’s such a shame, because it distorts the ideas he’s handled so exqui- sitely and shatters the fragile romance spun by Joe Murphy’s nonetheless excellent production. Don’t be put off, though. Blink’s still a real treat. Hannah Clarke’s superb and sensual retro design rubs bril- liantly against Porter’s text, and Harry McEntire and Rosie Wyatt are button-cute as the bristling sweet- hearts. (Matt Trueman) ■ Traverse Theatre, 228 1404, until 26 Aug (not 13, 20), times vary, £17–£19 (£12–£14).
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78 THE LIST 9–16 Aug 2012