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Fringe 2006 Reviews (23)
Adult Child/Dead Child
By Claire Dowie
Kissbar Theatre Company
Sweet ECA
*****
This eerie tale of a schizophrenic child without the language to realize
what her problem is strikes the viewer as both sensitive and chilling.
Performers Penny Lisle and Nikki Hornett act as the two sides of the
young girl's personality, although the decision has been made that neither
be cast as the 'good' or 'bad' side exclusively. Rather, Hornett plays
the more restrained version of the child in question, while surges of
emotion generally bring Lisle to the forefront.
The story is told through repetition and poetic construction of dialogues
between the two performers, and although the narrative thrust of the
tale begins to feel forced near the end of the production, on the whole
this is a thought-provoking look at the reasons behind and reality of
mental illness. Despite the proposition that AdultChild/Deadchild
takes place in a world without love, there is a great deal of caring
and compassion from the company toward their subject.
Rachel Lynn Brody
The Gruffalo's Child
Adapted by Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell
Tall Stories
Assembly @ George Street
***
This is a well-crafted and competently performed play, but after seeing
Them With Tails at the Imaginate Children's festival earlier
this year I have to say I expected more from this company. The story
is formulaic and reeks of an attempt to cash in on the success of previous
shows. Kids seemed to enjoy it, but aside from catchy tunes and an inviting
set, there's not much to set this apart. It's worth queuing for a seat
near the front, as from further than about ten rows back it was often
hard to hear the dialogue over the music.
Rachel Lynn Brody
Rabbit
By Brendan Cowell
Something Else
C Cubed
*****
Cut-glass absurdist comedy with a modern twist; this story of dislocation
and heroin abuse is perfectly performed by the company. The story clips
along at a steady pace, and despite a plot which stretches the bounds
of credibility, the cast never lets things get out of hand to a point
where the characters are not, in their own warped ways, believable.
Clear focus from the director and full-throttle performances by the
un-self-conscious cast mean that for those audiences who enjoy verbal
acrobatics (the dialogue reads like an updated, hip hop version of Anthony
Burgess' Nasdat), Rabbit might be one of the most surprising
successes of the Fringe thus far.
Rachel Lynn Brody
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