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Fringe 2006 Reviews (33)
Art of Silence
By J S Hartleyt
Demarco Rocket Productions
Rocket @ Demarco Roxy Art House
****
Art of Silence, a political piece focusing on an real prisoner
of war, Emilio Barreto, as evaluated at the beginning and end of his
4,621 days as political prisioner in Paraguay (suggested by a program
insert and despite the accents used). We see captivity from the perspective
of a younger and older Emilio although the author seems to speaks for
all prisoners of all wars. The author and her cast, Mike Duffy as the
older Emilio and Matt Addicott as the younger Emilio, echo from the
tradition of Julian Beck and the Living Theatre - although not as grusome
an event to sit through. Like cancer victims, they go through several
stages; disbelief (God, why hast thou forsaken me?), indignancy (human
rights), acceptance ("you no longer feel the pain"), inventing
stories to pass the time away.
Pointing to his head, Emilion observes, "Prison is here!"
Not only does Ms. Harley give us insight on the activities, reactions,
and thought processes of the captive but she addresses an idea not often
considered, the aftermath of being in captivity for prisoners of war
or hostages or kidnapped victims ( "I never felt like a prisioner
until they let me go" and "even after they let you go you
will never be free").
The actors seem comfortable with each other but with a piece this serious,
tighter direction would have made it seem more focused and polished.
A nod also to Juan Heilborn accredited for the graphics.
Powerful stuff, this.
Catherine Lamm
Pride and Prejudice and Niggas
By Reginald D Hunter
Udderbelly
****
Reginald D Hunter makes people laugh by taking on taboo subjects. In
Edinburgh this year, he has got into trouble following accusations that
his subtly-titled show is anti-Semitic.
That is unfortunate because, while he addresses awkward subjects, he
could as easily have been accused of sexism, racism and practically
every other prejudice. That is the nature of the art form.
The Udderbelly holds 300 plus people and Hunter plays his audience
so well that all seem to have a great laugh. That is unusual with comics
and is a measure of this big man's script and delivery.
He was angry on the night after The Times had made its accusation but
he still got a laugh out of Jews but by doing little more than expressing
the word itself at great length and volume.
His main subjects are the human foibles that make relationships between
men and women awkward and also the Black experience. Hunter is an American
who now lives in London and, on occasion, even his friends seem to struggle
with his colour, while he worries about the effect if he gets tied to
a woman.
The show is very slickly produced and, unlike so many stand-ups, the
comedy is sustained throughout the hour and best of all, the comedian
leaves you wanting more.
He may offend some with both his subject matter and language, but Reginald
D Hunter's Pride and Prejudice and Niggas is one of the most
polished acts in town and well worth a visit
Philip Fisher
Persae
By Van Badham
The New Theatre Company
Underbelly
***(*)
This production should have been better than it was, mainly because
too many of the actors did not make allowances for the difficult acoustic
of the venue and so were occasionally unintelligible. This, I'm afraid,
loses the piece its four star rating.
Badham has taken Aeschylus' Persae and applied it to Iraq, switching
the focus from the Persians (and, in particular, Atossa, the mother
of King Xerxes) to the Americans and giving parts of the Chorus' speeches
to three officials and Atossa's words to Barbara Bush. Where Atossa
dreams of and worries about Xerxes who is fighting the Greeks in the
land of Hellas, Mrs Bush worries for her son George W who is visiting
the troops in the Gulf. Like Atossa, she too has worrying dreams about
his fate.
The chorus of officials, unlike their Aeschylean counterparts, are
not there to offer support but to make sure she says the right thing
in front of the media. Where Aeschylus has a messenger recounting the
defeat at Salamis, Badham has a crippled soldier, who is to receive
a Purple Heart from Mrs Bush, telling of his experiences.
There's a nice irony in the way Badham uses the Aeschylus play and
the piece is cleverly constructed but there is no real feeling of involvement,
of emotional depth, until the end.
Peter Lathan
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