Tuesday 20 August 2013

Edinburgh Fringe: Dare You Enter ...?

The Edinburgh Fringe is well underway once again and there have been some changes since last year. Firstly – and most importantly – it has not yet rained on me (something which the weather gods will now certainly rectify); secondly, we are seeing a much broader foreign tourist base – Bonjour overseas fame! (I refuse to believe that Edinburgh’s admittedly very pretty Castle and Tattoo tradition have anything to do with the increased diversity of the Royal Mile wanderers. We have negotiated language barriers, employed our unique brand of British charm, and whispered the words “dark and … quirky” in many a passing ear to tempt them to newer, greener, non-Royal Mile pastures. When not otherwise engaged in honing my selling skills on the Mile (pitted unfairly methinks against the quite frankly overly confident and cheerful purveyors of comedy – I’m a Londoner, we don’t ‘do’ cheerful ) I have been frequenting some shows myself. Purely for your education, of course.

The Cow Play: Kafka, eat your heart out. Your protagonist transformed into a rubbish old bug, whereas in The Cow Play Holly, sweet and supportive girlfriend, turns into a cow, literally and metaphorically. But mostly literally. You never question the concept, simply accepting the descent into surrealism, but focus on the relationships of the three main characters. The unwavering loyalty of Holly’s boyfriend, so under confident in his own talents, is touching, but even more than that, the relationship between him and his best friend brings the sharpest poignancy to the piece. Brilliantly acted with a tight script, this is well worth a watch. ****

Showstoppers: I don’t really need to say more than this. Over 4 out of the 5 Fringes I have attended, I have seen this show 5 times. An improvised musical of superlative quality, with the musical styles, title, and setting drawn from (non-planted) audience members, it is an utter delight. This time, it was the evolutionary Concorde crash in a jungle plot of In the Jungle, the Flighty Jungle that left me with aching cheeks from too much damn smiling. Who knew that the BA crash survival manual dedicated so much time to instructing survivors to procreate and continue the line? *****

Snap: A complicated drama examining the perception of events and reality through the relationship of a young girl and her photographer stepfather, this play touches on uncomfortable themes. Its origins in the Royal Court are clear and the narrative is clearly delineated. A good lead performance held the show together and a certain unevenness in the production could certainly be ironed out into a solid show. **1/2

Coming up soon (hopefully): Broken Holmes, Shakespeare for Breakfast, and more ….

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