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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2004 Reviews (48)Stoll The three strong cast of Theatre de Klunka are recent graduates of Brunel University and are very ambitious in devising a strong visual and physical style of theatre mostly marginalised in Britain. They take some admirable risks in presenting material that is dark and mysterious and there is some striking imagery. The soundscape alone, forty-five minutes of pounding rain and rolling thunder, evokes a 'blasted heath' where the weird sisters roam or a primordial soup where tortured creatures squirm at the dawn of creation. There are mesmerizing moments of theatrical metaphor such as when a woman is beaten with strands of creeper, the lash of the improvised whips cutting the air and cracking on the floor as she writhes in agony, and then her senseless form is propped upright with a broom. The ferocity is remorseless and the fear, loathing and cruelty thrust relentlessly onwards. This is daring stuff, raw and surreal. However, this is work-in-progress, the cast are still searching for something elusive. It needs further development. As a spectator, a witness to this nightmare scenario, I find that something still too elusive. I felt disempowered, access denied. I applaud a style of theatre that refuses resolutely to give me the traditional cohesive narrative, that seeks to empower my imagination by forcing me into collaboration with the performers in the search for meaning. But, while the imagery invoked resonances in my mind, I could not find sufficient moments of meaningful significance to piece together into a satisfactory experience. I was left perplexed and rebuffed. If the cast go back to work on this piece, sifting and winnowing, paying attention to pacing to heighten, define and give clarity in context, I feel certain that I will be able to see this show again and with engagement. And I would like to see it again. Jackie Fletcher Hard to Believe It seems that Ireland generates writers and performers of good monologues by the truckload. Though it is set in the North, like those of Conor McPherson and so many others, this company is based in Eire. John Foster is an unusual man brought to the stage with great intensity by the bearded Séan Kearns. He is an actor of great power who manages to create illusions that work. He may look silly in a dress with his facial hair but he soon persuades his audience that he is an elderly woman. Foster is a man created by his family's history and, as such, he is inevitably a representative of the problems of his country. This is especially the case as he eventually discovers that his father was not the Catholic that he had always seemed. The story has a tragic element as we discover more and more about someone who cannot tell his family about a job that eventually kills his brother. His own life is told with frequent diversions into those of his parents and grandfather. Hard to Believe is an accomplished piece, well performed. Its main strength, and possibly its weakness, is in the oblique way in which facts are slowly revealed. This means that it takes time to obtain the full understanding of an interesting outsider that is only fully achieved in the final scene. Philip Fisher A Quiet Afternoon A Quiet Afternoon takes us into an absolutely magical work thanks to the tremendous talent and imagination of director, Lucinka Eisler, who trained at Jacques Lecoq and has worked with Theatre O. Like Too Loud a Solitude, this simple piece is based on a work by Czech writer, Bohumil Hrabal. In this case, it is his short story, Fádní Odpoledne, the re-enactment of a dull evening in a bar. The combination of inventive physical theatre and excellent acting turns a tale of a football bore, a quiet intellectual, a tall story-teller who may be the real thing and their long-suffering barman into something really special. There are many nice touches, many of them very funny. Little things like beer glasses that empty and replayed football matches as the audience is suddenly taken behind the bar, are clever. The actors play it deadpan; Ben Lewis doubles, with his two characters sometimes appearing simultaneously on stage, by great sleight of hand. Jonathan Young conveys the frustration and boredom of a barman's life effortlessly. The set changes are like a dance and the whole may be the dream of David Jason lookalike, Richard Sanda's Jupa. A Quiet Afternoon is reminiscent of the work of Matthew Bourne and silent film, with a lively, appropriate soundtrack accompanying mime. It goes further with life's frustrations and memories of a past that was so much better, developed in discussions that amuse because of their banality. With the assistance of her three actors and designer Giles Drayton, Lucinka Eisler takes us into an unforgettable world, in some ways like an impressionist painter, allowing her audience to bring their own interpretations to the work. We will hear much more from her and this company, in future. Philip Fisher |
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