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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2004 Reviews (45)Snapshot Snapshot is undeservedly suffering from invisibility. It is a beautiful play that was originally programmed for the defunct Wigwam. As a consequence, it is sadly unknown, which is grossly unfair to actress-playwright Samantha Swan and her committed cast. Snapshot takes the form of a memoir of her childhood, written by Jan (played by Natasha Marco), a constant presence downstage. The central character is her larger-than-life Scottish Aunt Sissy. While Jan is a shy teen, her ever-obliging Aunt is as in-yer-face as they come. She may be a Catholic but this doesn't stop her from eating and drinking to excess and having sex with every bad man that she can find. Her reasoning for this rings true, thanks to a wonderful performance from the playwright. Sissy has sex to try to cheer these animals up, as if this was her divinely-inspired mission. Samantha Swan is a gifted actress and imbues Sissy with life. Her relationship with Dermot, a wife-beater that everybody likes, becomes all too plausible. It is also somewhat unusual for a theatrical heroine to be above a size 10 and this might mean that far more people will empathise with this wonderful creation than the usual supermodel lookalikes. Alex Kane and Sergio Gallinaro give good support to the actresses throughout, playing numerous parts between them. This tale of "ovaries and rosaries" is extremely well written and perfectly paced, thanks to director Christopher Comrie. It also has the heart to move and cheer all who see it. Philip Fisher Job - the Hip-Hop Musical Job Lowe has risen from being janitor to general manager at Hoover Records in just six years. He is greatly liked by company president Jonathan Hoover but the jealous vice-president of finance, Louis Saphire, suspects that Job is only loyal because he has been so well looked after, so he bets Hoover that if he takes a way Job's financial incentives, he will curse him. So, the story of Job relocated to the world of music and finance. It doesn't follow the Biblical tale exactly but comes pretty close. The show is performed by MC Cain (Batalion) and MC Abel (Saibil), whio have boundless energy and personalities which connect with the audience straightaway. Hip-Hop fans will love it and, to an extent, it works quite well for the average theatregoer who wants to see what some tell us is the future of the musical. However it has some longueurs and could do with some cutting. I have to say that it worked a lot better than I expected (Oh ye of little faith!). The future of music theatre? I think not, although it will be most interesting to see how that most eclectic of forms integrates hip-hop, as it is bound to do eventually. Peter Lathan Beauty and the Bitch Listed in the Fringe programme under Music Theatre and Opera, Beauty and the Bitch is, in fact, cabaret. Written and performed by Katy Darby (singer) and Dave Key-Pugh (singer, keyboard, guitar), it is very funny and, occasionally, bitingly satirical. Their stage personae are those modern phenomena, the strong and dominant female and the subservient male who grabs his moment with both hands when she goes off-stage. The publicity is a bit misleading: it certainly isn't as filthy as suggested, even though most of the songs deal with relationships and many have an air of cynical bitterness. Darby and Key-Pugh clearly have a fan club, a group of Americans who, on the night I was there, had returned for the second time, and greeted with performers with rapturous applause. Indeed, the whole audience enjoyed the piece, myself included. Peter Lathan |
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