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Dateline: 23rd June, 2006
Edinburgh Fringe 2006: the Underbelly The Underbelly has grown for the 2006 Fringe: as well as the Smirnoff Underbelly vaults in the Cowgate and Baby Belly's caves on Niddry Street, two new venues become members of the Underbelly family. E4 UdderBELLY situated in Bristo Square will be one of the most unique spaces at the Fringe. The venue is a giant purple structure in the shape of a cow. At 24m long, 14m wide and 15m high, the cow will seat 322 and is surrounded by an outdoor bar and seating area known as the Pasture sponsored by Strongbow. E4 UdderBELLY is set to be an exciting addition to an already buzzing festival hub. Nearby a new 230 seater venue known as the Cow Barn is an Underbelly expression of the well known Reid Hall. Reduced in auditorium size from 300 to 230 seats the Cow Barn promises to be an intimate renovation of a favourite Fringe space. As far as the programme is concerned, 2006 sees Underbelly reinforcing its reputation for bringing the best new theatre from the across the world to the Fringe, while continuing to support home grown new writing. European premieres include the Choon Hyang: A Love Story of the Far East by Korean Company Theatre Seoul and Patron Company; US play Talk Radio, directed by Stewart Lee; Tossers, a show that promises to do for juggling what Stomp did for dustbin lids, and talk of the New York Fringe The Irish Curse. Also from New York, gender-bending performance artist Taylor Mac brings his visual and intellectual stage show, and Canadian hit One Man Star Wars also joins the programme for a UK premiere. New plays by young playwrights also feature: Radio by Al Smith (writer of Fringe 2005’s Enola) and Polar Bears by Jim Kenworth, writer of Gob (Fringe 2003). Aeschylus is updated by Van Badham in Persae, and Martin Henshell’s (Soho Core Writers Group) Bitches and Money tells of a Victorian criminal gang on the run. Eye witness testimony from both sides of a 1943 WWII bombing form the basis for Darren Ormandy’s new play Hamburg, and In Pursuit of Cardineo sees Ken Campbell delving into Shakespeare’s notorious lost opus, using audience suggestion to create a unique work of theatre each day. And fresh from a storming success in London, Chris England’s new play Breakfast with Jonny Wilkinson comes to the Fringe. A number of new plays at Underbelly take the temperature of the current climate of religious debate and cultural intolerance. Western society’s ignorance of Islam is explored in We Don’t Know Shi’ite and Man & God places Jesus in a popularity contest with a fake prophet with better PR. Meanwhile one of the darker chapters in the history of the Catholic Church gets an airing in Breaking the Pope, which exposes the grim reality of the notorious Magdalene Laundries. And The Cosmic Family’s dark satirical cabaret offers a window into new age evangelism. Religion, race, sex and drugs are all covered by Eric Bogosian’s play Talk Radio. Based on the true story of Alan Berg, a Denver radio shock-jock who was killed by white supremacists, the European premiere of this 1980s play brings the free speech debate firmly to the fore. Directed by Stewart Lee (Jerry Springer The Opera), the cast includes Phil Nichol, Mike McShane, Will Adamsdale and Stephen K Amos. Bloggers – Real Internet Diaries is a piece of verbatim theatre that uses personal internet diaries to create a play that follows the lives of eleven characters. These online testimonies provide an unique and honest window into the varied private lives and thoughts of some of the world’s 40 million bloggers. One of Our Ain tells the story of a woman who realises that her father was responsible for the disappearance of her best friend in the 1960s. Based on her book Where There is Evil, Sandra Brown, leading campaigner for survivors of abuse and 2005’s Scotswoman of the Year brings her touching and absorbing story to the stage. Based on real messages left by sperm donors for their future children, The Sperm Monologues provides a funny and touching insight into ideas of fatherhood and inheritance. Present by Continuum Theatre also concerns messages left from one generation for another, as a godfather imparts his wisdom to his newborn godchild. From New York, The Irish Curse (winner New York Fringe Outstanding Playwriting 2005) is about a group of men who meet weekly in a church hall to discuss their shortcomings, or more specifically, their dicks. Written by award-winning author and director Martin Casella, this sharp comic play takes a revealing look at the less often discussed body image issues of men. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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