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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2003 Reviews (29)Twelve Angry Men This is one of the most successful shows in Edinburgh. With a cast of twelve big names, largely from the comedy circuit, it is selling out the Music Hall at the Assembly Rooms every day at the unheard of time of 12.30. Guy Masterson must be pleased with both his direction and his boldness in booking this show. The concept is so good that if he can keep a good cast together, it could go down well in the West End. In any event, it would be no great surprise if a version was still running in Edinburgh twenty years from now. This was a potentially risky experiment because there was no guarantee that some of these performers would prove to be adequate actors. The skills of a stand-up comedian are rather different from those of actors. Though the acting is a little uneven, the performers generally do well which in some cases, may even have surprised themselves. Twelve Angry Men is familiar to most as a filmed legal drama starring Henry Fonda. It is gripping and Guy Masterson keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout. The key characters are led by the stressed, aggressive Juror 3, played well by Stephen Frost who is close to stealing the show. However, the lower-key Juror 8, Owen O'Neill in the Henry Fonda role, David Calvitto as the cheery 7, Phil Nichol with big chip on shoulder playing the bigoted 10 and Bill Bailey as a surprisingly taciturn 4 all impress. There should also be a word for the only straight actor in the show, Russell Hunter who appeared in the first ever Edinburgh Festival in 1947 and is still going strong, playing the older 9. One hint for Mr Masterson if he does take the show on. Comedians apparently struggle with accents. A minor quibble about a real success that has its audences in raptures. The Whale - A One-Man Moby Dick Carlo Adinolfini is devoted to this project. He has been touring it around for nine years and finally it has reached the perfect location, Edinburgh. His show attempts to encapsulate the spirit of Herman Melville's classic in a one-man performance lasting less than one hour. Surprisingly, he gets pretty close to succeeding. This show has clearly been compiled by Adinolfini and director Renee Philippi with love for their subject. The props, all home-made as the proud performer happily tells his audience, are a wonder. There are models of the Pequod and also of two rowing boats with articulated oars. There is also a structure that converts from boat to white whale. This is far more than one man's monologue. There is a great soundscape, carefully worked movement and faithful quotation from the novel. The build up to the final sad destruction of the ship is very dramatic. Carlo Adinolfini is a good performer who gives his all. He somehow combines Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg and even Moby, in his graphically tattooed body and costume. The whole makes one keen to read or re-read Moby Dick and that is a reasonable mark of success for a production of this type.
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