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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2004 Reviews (55)Creating Chaos At first glance, there's a sneaking suspicion that Claire Dowie might be trying to make a point in her selected performance style. Perhaps she's correlating the aging punk movement in some obscure way to the world of performance art; maybe watching her recite long passages linked by tenuous extemporary monologues is meant to inspire audience members to make decisions on how they relate to the world of anarchy and revolution. Dowie is not, however, a particularly compelling performer. The strongest parts of the show are the moments when she allows the recited, written words to take over, and doesn't bother so much with making frenetic gestures. As a novel, Creating Chaos is probably an average piece of rock-and-roll literature. There are hints of ideas about the British class system (of the 70s) and, although it's been done a million times, a few mentions of how hard it is to be a revolutionary when rebellion is bottled and sold on the high street. But as theatre, this show fails to inspire. Rachel Lynn Brody Ristorante Immortale Famillie Floz once again engage us with the tragi-comic aspects of provincial life through the inconsequential daily routine in an unsuccessful restaurant. In spite of the noticeable lack of patrons, a grumpy cook, a suave maitre de' and three clumsy waiters go about their business steeped in the ludicrous rituals of trivia. The slightly over-sized masks delineate character through expression and these are carried over into body language by the five strong cast of accomplished physical actors. This is a tragic tale of hopes gone awry mitigated by an endearing comedy of middle-class manners. Each of the characters in turn comes face to face with his own alter ego as unfulfilled longings are revealed. This is a fine piece of entertainment for the last week of the festival. It is gentler than Teatro Delusio, more evenly paced, and has a hint of the morality tale to gives it some pith. The masks are a delight and the cast stunning. Don't miss it! Jackie Fletcher 4:48 Psychosis Despite a technical hitch that meant the filmic aspect of this show did not play during the performance being reviewed, this production of Sarah Kane's 4:48 Psychosis was still powerful. Then again, the strength of the language and themes in Kane's script is such that it is my hunch this would be a difficult piece to do poorly. Performances from each of the three lead actresses (Sian Maddock, Charlie Payne, and Clare Quinn) are powerful, with their intensity reaching extremes able to make audience members squirm. As the doctor who attempts to treat each aspect/woman, Ben Fogarty is both sympathetic and menacing, modulating his performance against the reactions of whichever of the three actresses he is up against. Unfortunately, the space in which 4:48 Psychosis takes place is far from optimal, with single-level seating that prevents audience members not in the first couple of rows from getting the full impact of the performances due to constant attempts to see around the heads of the people sitting in front of them. Given that the projections, according to director Catherine Goulding's note, "heighten the rationality of the outside world," were not running, it is difficult to assess the final impact of this piece when performed as the company intends it to be. However, given the technical aptitude shown by the group, I have full confidence that the projections would only enhance an already compelling piece of drama. Rachel Lynn Brody |
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