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Fringe 2006 Reviews (17)
Both Sides of the Bar
By Scott Major
Bathroom Floor Productions
Smirnoff Underbelly
***
This love triangle 'with a twist' (namely, Foster's Twist, with whom
the company has clearly scored a fantastic sponsorship deal) is actually
a pretty run of the mill look at success and how it changes people -
or rather, how arrogant jerks are likely to have a hand in their own
downfall, while cheerful, mild-mannered barmen with aspirations of greatness
get the plum part and the girl in the end. It's a sweet little story
with believable acting, and at only 45 minutes has all the staying power
of the latest episode of your favourite soap.
Rachel Lynn Brody
Much Ado About Goblin
By Matt Borgatti
WatchThis
Smirnoff Underbelly
****(*)
This rapid-fire comedy wouldn't be out of place in a 9.30pm sitcom
slot on Channel 4; certainly writer Matt Borgatti has mastered the art
of writing quirky one-liners and verbal banter. The absurd premise of
the play - that a young man would find a goblin had taken up residence
in his bathroom, and that the goblin would be visible and audible only
to him - leaves plenty of room for the antics that follow. Strong performances
from the cast, particularly John Robinson (as the young man's flatmate)
and Kirsty Pannett (as the girlfriend, aka 'Satan') back up the style
of the piece. Maija Levasalmi, playing an over-committed exorcist, is
also great fun to watch.
If you enjoy comedies like Black Books and Spaced, this
is probably right up your alley. The ending seems more abrupt than necessary,
but at the same time there probably wasn't a lot more room to play with
this concept, and Borgatti definitely leaves the viewer wanting more.
Rachel Lynn Brody
Talk Radio
By Eric Bogosian
E4 Udderbelly
****
Eric Bogosian's twenty-year-old play is here revived by The Comedians'
Theatre Company and directed by Stewart Lee, a comedian who achieved
a great deal of notoriety with his last directing project, Jerry
Springer The Opera. With this production, Lee is covering similar
ground as he did with Jerry - shows that invite people to share their
problems, opinions, quirks and prejudices with the rest of the world
- but with a script written before our world of reality television,
citizen journalism and 'shock jock' 'phone-in shows had really become
established.
The play is set in the studio of a talk radio station, WTLK Cleveland
in Ohio, during the live broadcast of Night Talk With Barry Champlain,
a show in which all manner of housewives, fascists, neurotics, drug
addicts and crusaders for various causes 'phone in and argue with Champlain,
who will even insult and cut off those who call to praise him and agree
with him. On the eve of the show going national, Barry starts to doubt
whether his listeners are really with him on his crusade to seek out
truth in the world, or whether they are just listening to be entertained
by other people's problems and ridiculous opinions. When he harangues
the audience (listening and watching) towards the end, he prophetically
states that 'your fear and your own lives have become the entertainment.'
How much truer that has become than it was twenty years ago.
The story, such as it is, is rather thinly spread in this play. Most
of it consists of Barry dealing with his callers on his show, with a
few monologues about him from the other people he works with. The calls
are often fascinating or funny, which usually manages to keep the audience's
attention even over the worrying creaking of the girders holding up
the tent in the strong Scottish winds.
However it is the performances that are the most impressive part of
this production, in particular a tour de force performance in
the part of Barry Champlain by Phil Nichol. Nichol is also appearing
in Sam Shepard's True West at the Assembly Rooms and his own
stand-up show The Naked Racist; three productions a day is a
tall order for anyone, but the part of Champlain is a massive one, and
Nichol does an amazing job of bringing him to life. He has very good
support from Mike McShane, Tony Law, Tiffany Stevenson, Will Adamson,
Stephen K Amos and Tara Flynn as the station crew and more than thirty
voices of callers to the station.
This is one of two major productions at the Fringe this year with a
cast of comedians set in the studio of a US 'phone-in radio show, the
other being Rich Hall's Levelland at the Assembly Rooms. The
Comedians' Theatre Company was formed earlier this year to produce straight
dramas with casts of comedians with little or no acting experience.
This production certainly proves that some comedians have a great deal
of acting talent, and Nichols shows off the talent that won him the
Stage Award for acting excellence at last year's Fringe.
David Chadderton
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