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Fringe 2006 Reviews (2)
Banshees
By Sitting Pretty Theatre Company
Venue 13
**
One wants to cut this company a little slack - after all, they have
apparently lost half their cast due to 'unforseen circumstances, which
required some 'adaptation' of their original material - but in the end
there is nothing in the piece that suggests Banshees would be any more
compelling (or less confusing) if thecast of three were doubled to its
original six.
This production shows youth-theatre level competency, but the actors
drown in the space and the direction has left the majority of performances
entirely flat. The claim that the piece can be appreciated wholly as
a 'piece of visual or physical theatre' is a highly ambitious one, given
the lack of material worthy of even mild appreciation.
Rachel Lynn Brody
The Tylwyth Teg
Devised by the company
Apricot Theatre
Smirnoff Underbelly
****(*)
If one said this was a haunting and marvellous tale about a Welsh mother
whose baby is stolen by faeries, they would be correct. If one said
it was a piece of riviting physical theatre which relied on a troupe
of talented and dedicated actors, capable of presenting subtle performances,
this would also be true. The Tylwyth Teg is both these things.
It is also soft, charming, and delightfully malevolent, with the company
showing the same trademark unflinching honesty that made their 2003
production of The Duchess of Malfi so stunning.
Director Mark Edel-Hunt has done a fine job conducting this visual
symphony, and performers Benedict Hitchins, Rachel King, and Ros Steele
tell the story of Jenny Gill and her changeling baby by playing both
fae and human characters. Like in Duchess, costumes play a significant
role in the distinction between settings and characters, and these switches
are always crystal clear. Elongated movement pieces have been excellently
coordinated by movement director Marie Gabrielle Rotie, while Andy Hewson's
set recalls an earlier age of darkly threatened innocence. Dan Steele's
music contributes a critical atmosphere, and, as in any devised production,
dramaturg Clare Slater has ensured that the both sides of this story
are clear and easy to follow.
Rachel Lynn Brody
The Little Girl Who Was Too
Fond of Matches
Adapted and directed by Marcia Carr
Underbelly
Impetuous Kinship/Elevator East to Edinburgh
**
What promised to be a whimsical and warm experience showed its true
colours - as monotone as the set, though not as visually intriguing
- within moments of the performance's beginning. This may as well have
been a one person show, for all the second actor contributed to the
story, and Carr may want to take on a director next time - her performance
becomes tedious early on, and stays that way. It's a pity, because I
harbour a strong suspicion that this is actually a good story which
has just been badly treated, rather than an entirely worthless piece
of work. The writer is attempting to create a new language for the characters,
and in the hands of a more competent company, this might have worked.
Despite this being a story about a child losing a parent, I felt more
sympathy for the young woman in the audience who had brought a group
of friends, and was apologizing profusely to them for having done so
after the show.
Rachel Lynn Brody
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