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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2002 Reviews (13)Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan This is pure Bollywood-style escapism and great fun. The plot is formulaic and predictable and the musical form is not intellectually demanding but when it is done well, millions will go to see it. Radha (Hindu) loves Rahim (Muslim). They would like to live happily ever after but that is not the way. She must succumb to the charms of a lecherous film producer (played well by Dhruv Jagasia), while he is condemned by her mother for planting a bomb that kills seven. With the assistance of drunken Johnny (Deepak Nair) and his "wife", a tart with a heart of gold (played by Isha Anand), all comes out right in comic-book fashion by the end. Some politics, film and music create a real feelgood factor. The real charm of the production is a combination of good ensemble acting, with Priyanka Bose as Radha, to the fore and a wide variety of music and dance styles to give something for everybody. Philip Fisher Attempts on Her Life The original Royal Court production of Attempts on Her Life was played in the Upstairs space with a multimedia backdrop and a large cast. The young Teddy Machete company have come up with a pared down production with a cast of only three, constantly swapping roles. Surprisingly, with only a TV screen and a loud soundtrack, this works well. Anne is Everywoman. There is a question as to whether there is one person seen from many angles or a dozen different people. She is schoolgirl and woman, victim, prostitute, Messiah and, in one of the play's funniest moments, a new breed of car. The play portrays these vignettes of a woman, described as "an absence of character", in varying styles. Except where the music is turned up and the actors struggle to be heard, it successfully catches many of the pains and pleasures of contemporary life for women. It is a very poetic play and it is a pleasure just to enjoy Martin Crimp's careful use of language as it builds up the picture of Anne or Annie or Anya, in her various incarnations. This is a very brave production for young graduates to take on, a far cry from The Importance of Being Earnest or John Godber. Teddy Machete are to be congratulated on the imagination that they have shown in a production, generally well-directed in the tiny space by Michael Sullivan. Philip Fisher Penetrator Even taking into account Anthony Neilson's own production of Stitching at Traverse, this could well be the most disturbing show on the Fringe this year. It is deeply shocking and leaves its audience drained after a gruelling hour. The play starts with Max alone in a bachelor pad that he shares with Alan. It is strewn with junk including assorted men's magazines and no fewer that five different types of beer. Once Alan returns, they chat and smoke joints in the way that young men will. They don't say anything particularly important but it is easy to recognise the male bonding that occurs when the young share flats. Just as they are getting comfortable, Tadge, played by John Gardner, turns up. He is a snot-nosed hard man who has just been discharged from the army for unstated reasons. He immediately produces a rift between the two men, well demonstarted as he sits between them. The liberal-minded Alan is scandalised by him while Max feels compelled to defend. Max has known Tadge from primary school and he was unstable then. Now he is completely unsafe. It is very obvious that he is haunted by some very weird demons that reflect the uncertainties of his life. Eventually after storming verbally, he produces a big knife and grabs a broken beer glass, circling the room. The tension increases further as he pours lager on to a reviewer in the front row and then teeters on the edge of a coffee table looking as if he may plunge knife first into her! This is experiential theatre at is most raw. At this point, Tadge grabs the terrified Alan and holds the knife to his throat. The mark of the quality of Gardner's performance is that the audience is not wholly convinced that he is far enough in control to prevent himself from accidentally hurting Simon Harrison's Alan. Eventually, after symbolically disembowelling Alan's Teddy Bear, formerly seen as an analog for virile manhood, Brendan P. Hughes as Max has to talk him down. Once relative stability returns, Max has to choose between his two friends, an unenviable choice. After such tough drama, it is with some relief that we see Neilson provide a peaceful and hopeful ending. This is a very interesting and well-acted dissection of the lives of men young in the 1990s and, more widely, the nature of friendship and the extremes of male aggression. It is totally uncompromising and most certainly not for the faint-hearted. Philip Fisher Gulliver This is a very different theatre experience. Black light theatre is like watching a silent movie and the Black Light Theatre Company of Prague are masters of the art. Using a screen with film images they are able to convey a part of Gulliver's Travels in an absolutely magical way. It is perfectly easy for them to show the hero swallowed by a fish, riding on the waves, or admired as a toy by Brobdingnagians. Similarly, Gulliver suddenly goes on screen and torments the (Chinese) Lilliputians. The special effects are often stunning and constantly amusing as our hero goes through his series of bizarre experiences. Previously, effects like this seemed possible only on the silver screen. Now, through the tremendous efforts of the Black Light Theatre Company, they can be seen onstage too. Philip Fisher |
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