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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2002 Reviews (24)Anorak of Fire People said to me, "Trainspotting? I didn't realise it was on." No, I told them, not Trainspotting but a play about trainspotting. "About trainspotting? God, that's sad!" And, of course, it was said in such a way as to suggest that I, too, am sad. I don't really know what it was that drew me to want to see this. Perhaps an interest in the psychopathology of obsession, for it is the theme of a number of shows I have chosen this year. But I was drawn, and I went - and I enjoyed it. As Gus Gascoigne, trainspotter extraordinaire, Matthew Bannister was a delight and his description of the coetus interruptus when his one and only sexual partner moaned in just the same way as the whistle of the locomotive he had been desperately try to "spot" for months was hilarious. It is one of those gentle comedies which are scattered throughut the Fringe every year but which, unless you're very lucky, you end to miss in the pursuit of the avant-gard or, at least, the next Fringe First. Peter Lathan Caveman Inc Given good material, Kerry Shale can be absolutely hilarious. He has been most successful as the reader of Bill Bryson's work on radio. Regrettably, despite the injection of considerable effort, Caveman Inc is so thin that even Kerry Shale cannot raise more than an occasional smile. Philip Fisher Silent Engine This is a two-hander that really gets under the skins of a couple soon after the loss of their baby daughter. Bill and Anna have travelled to the western edge of England to try to come to terms with life and its pain. The village that they choose to visit is no longer there. It has fallen off a cliff. This mirrors their relationship and their loss. Anna is caught by the story of the economic reasons why this village was created and the storm that destroyed it. She also wants to research the history. She has manages to externalise her feelings regarding the death of their daughter but this helps her little. Bill is still unable to face up to it and, as a result, an unbearable strain is put on to their relationship. They are an interesting couple as Bill is a scientific man at heart while Anna is a romantic. Their battles are hard fought as they fail to understand each other and one particular argument is terrifying to behold, a great credit to the performers, Cathy Owen and Robin Pirongs. It is obvious that the couple need to get away from each other and that this is the only way to save their marriage, not to mention their sanity and possibly even their lives. This is not an easy play to watch as it is so well-written and heartrending. It is impossible to speak too highly of the performances by both actors. They hold the attention effortlessly and express emotions that are hard to imagine for most people. Silent Engine has already won a Fringe First and deservedly so. Philip Fisher Penetrator This "in-yer-face", "black", "shocking comedy" fails to pull it off. The amateurish production values with elements that put actors and audience into physical jeopardy is one of the worst directoral sins. Any time a real weapon or fight is called for in a script, it is vital to have it so precisely choreographed that nothing can possibly go wrong. If one can set that aside, the author and actors have drawn real characters. The set with its almost unreal amount of litter and the actors careless attitude to their environment smacks of looking back, embarrassed, to university days. Its rapid pace and dramatic build might truly unnerve and one might care about the welfare of these characters if one was not so worried about the welfare of the actors. |
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