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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2004 Reviews (12)Delerium Delerium is romantic poetry scraped over a page of blotter acid, with an absinthe chaser - the resulting trip is alternately numbing, enthralling, and disorientating - but hours after the high has passed you'll still be thinking about what you saw and trying to figure out if it all means as much in the light of sobriety as it did while you were under the influence. Wild romantic poets and early suicide are two topics that should have goths and artistes packing the house at C Cubed for Tony Speciale's new work about the relationship between poet Arthur Rimbaud and his older lover, Paul Verlaine. Regrettably, Speciale (who also stars) was playing to a nearly empty house when I was there. Surely this is due more to poor marketing than to a play undeserving of an audience. While Speciale's script may wax a bit lyrical for most from time to time (especially one long, repetitive diatribe about the beauty of … vowels?), his performance is utterly gripping. From the moment audience members enter the theatre to see Rimbaud huddled at his desk, pathetically scribbling and crumpling enough paper to coat the floor, we care enough to be engaged with this utterly likeable and sympathetic performer. Like so many stories about these "forbidden" (but inevitable) love affairs between romantic poets, the true source of interest in this show is not Rimbaud's poetry, or even his genius. After all, the kid's career was over at nineteen. What will grip audiences most about Delerium (should they care to show up) is the tempestuous, obsessive emotional net that encircles Rimbaud; the way in which he is so certain of his love for Verlaine, and the way in which that love eventually destroys him. Its in moments where this relationship is being related and deconstructed that Delerium is truly irresistible, and these are the moments which one remembers the longest after the trip of this play has ended. Rachel Lynn Brody Open House With only a fifteen minute get-in time, it's astounding that Open House is able to have an extensive set. Most of the Fringe shows I've seen so far have used little or no set, and a few props; in contrast Open House builds the entire home in which the play takes place. The stage is divided into rooms: a pink haven for Marie (Michelle Duffy), the Dickensonesque poetess who never had sex with her deceased boyfriend; an indie-and-metal-poster-wall-papered room where Josh (Kevin Murphy) can steal samples from said deceased boyfriends' music collection; and a kitchen area where Charlie (Keith Drinkel) and Lizzy (Selina Chilton), father and hooker respectively, can have long conversations over a shared joint. Open House may describe the state of Charlie's physical household, but the other members of the "family" have a secret. And they all revolve around the dead boyfriend. And sex. To say more would give away what becomes blindingly obvious fairly early on. Aside from the script, which meanders around a series of themes without striking on any one point, Open House is full of strong performances. Murphy's Jack-Daniels-induced cynicism portrays a this type of character well, and Duffy does well at remaining sympathetic and engaging in a role that could easily have become tedious. The most entertaining performance is from Chilton, whose comic timing and ability to drop in throw-away lines makes her the most delightful character in the house. That said, in the hands of a less capable cast and crew, Open House wouldn't be nearly so enjoyable. Rachel Lynn Brody Garden of Fools Gomito Productions invites you into their strange world where everything is made from umbrellas and the gardeners are a dark and sinister group who guard the precious leaves and torment people. At the heart of the piece is the story of Melody, a girl who works as an office dogsbody and who is afraid of water, and Oscar, a former gardener who now works in an umbrella emporium and is obsessive about umbrellas and matching them to their owner. There are some nice ideas in the story, such as the concept of fallen leaves each containing the story of a person who has died. There are also some very effective touches, particularly when one character's brightly-coloured coat and hat and are manipulated by the ensemble like a puppet in slow motion for a shocking event at the end. However it has all the hallmarks and many of the clichés of a student devised production, such as the chorus of strange characters played by performers in black crouching and pulling faces and some attempts at humour that don't work and distract from the plot. We learn quite a few things about the world they have created, but the story is rather thin. The creation of household and office objects using people and umbrellas is straight from a drama workshop exercise and the results are serviceable rather than inspired. The performance is held together by the two central performers who play Oscar and Melody, both of whom play their roles very well. Oscar is the storyteller, and he has a relaxed manner but keeps the story moving and interesting. Melody's performance is more physical than vocal, but she succeeds in creating a sympathetic character and has an extremely expressive face. The production makes some use of UV, which is effective but could have been used more imaginatively. Ultimately this is entertaining with some good ideas, but the group could have made more effective use of the material they have. David Chadderton |
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