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Fringe 2006 Reviews (6)
Closer Than Ever
Music by David Shire, lyrics by Richard J Malby Jnr
Kent-Mcardle Productions
C Too
***
In some ways you could describe this as a musical Friends, except
that it's more of a song cycle than a musical and it's not really that
witty. Snapshots of four people's lives, mainly in relationship terms,
but with nothing particularly insightful to say. The music is reminiscent
of Sondheim with the accent on toughness rather than melody.
Unusually for music theatre, the company perform without microphones.
Generally this worked well and the vocals were clear, but just occasionally
the accompaniment was a little too loud and voices were drowned.
It's a competently performed, reasonably entertaining piece but it's
not going to set Edinburgh alight!
Peter Lathan
Theatre in the Pound
C Central Cabaret Bar
****
There is no point in reviewing what I saw at Theatre in the Pound because
it changes every day. It's an opportunity for companies or individuals
to try out new ideas in fronty of an audience and get feedback. Everyone
is charged £1, audiences and performers (the latter pay £1
per actor, with a maximum of £10). Each performer/group has a
ten minute slot (more if there aren't enough to fill the hour).
It originally pioneered at the Cockpit Theatre in London and it's a
fascinating idea. I was there early in the festival so they only had
two performances, a large group and a solo piece, which were very different
and the juxtaposition of the two pieces alone was enough to give a real
picture of the diversity of theatre available in Edinburgh.
Each day is different, so you really are taking a chance when you go,
but at 11.30 in the morning and at only a pound a ticket, you'd be daft
to miss it!
Peter Lathan
The Infant
By Oliver Lansley
Les Enfants Terribles
Gilded Balloon Teviot
*****
If it hadn't been for the Southwell shooting, most people would consider
the premise for this play to be too silly for words. A four year old's
drawing, when looked at in a particular way (and we never actually see
the drawing) is interpreted by the security services to be a plan for
an attack on the British people so the child's father is grabbed, tied
up and thrown into a cell where he is interrogated by two operatives,
Samedi and Castogan.
The Infant is a savage satire on the paranoia engendered by
the war on terror and the way in which even the most ordinary of people,
like Cooper and Lilly, the child's parents, can be drawn in to believing
the worst of even those who are closest to them, particularly when forced
into the position of defending themselves against a preposterous accusation.
It is very funny but also frightening. The characters are well drawn,
in particular the two interrogators, who have jusy enough of the comic
about them to drive the story forward but also sufficient reality to
give an air of menace.
Peter Lathan
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