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Fringe 2006 Reviews (34)
Bloggers - Real Internet Diaries
Devised and compiled by Oliver Mann
Connected Theatre
Smirnoff Underbelly
****
With the advent of Internet diarisation being the popular culture icon
of this year's festival and several plays being based around this new
media form, it's gladdening to see that the Fringe is embracing this
new avenue of lives and stories.
Connected Theatre's latest play has a simple enough premise, extracts
from eleven real Blogs have been woven into a series of talking-heads
style vignettes, which contrast the different problems faced in the
everyday lives of these people. The cast is uniformly excellent in their
multitude of roles and voices, never seeming to force the pains and
joys but in a more naturalistic fashion, simply let the words speak
for themselves.
Oliver Mann's directs the segments, and in his hands the stories lead
us on a mesmerising journey of posts and entries both moving and frightening
but ultimately hopeful.
Graeme Strachan
4:48 Psychosis
By Sarah Kane
Mardy Arts
Zoo
**
From the outset, Mardy Arts' adaptation of Sarah Kane's final play
manages to confuse, unsettle and occasionally baffle its audience with
its portrayal of a severely disturbed mind.
The seven cast members all appeared to know what they are doing on
stage, endlessly moving and repositioning a drum-kit, speakers and other
musical detritus whilst either spouting complex monologues, or asking
each other random questions. However one can only guess at what all
of this was fully intended to represent, as the production came to a
rude and sudden halt before the ending arrived, having run well over
its scheduled time-slot.
Leaving the audience with questions is acceptable, but leaving them
utterly unfulfilled is unforgivable, had the play reached its climax,
then I imagine it would have accomplished itself quite admirably. In
this instance we will never know.
Graeme Strachan
My Dearest Byron
Written by Bernie C. Byrnes
Another Midas
C Cubed
****
From the wholehearted welcome, the choice of venue and the direct audience
addresses, it was clear that My Dearest Byron was to be as self-indulgent
and irreverent as the man was himself.
Taking place in a virtually empty space, the focus of the play is absolutely
on the performance. The actors recount the scandalous love affair between
Lord Byron and his long estranged sister Augusta. Both acquit themselves
admirably, both with the convoluted dialogue and the physical sections,
where the sex is played out in the form of a ballet. This is later contrasted
with a retread of the same movements n a violent almost rape-like fashion,
as the relationship and Byron's life begins to crumble.
The work was constructed upon the basis of surviving love letters between
the two, giving an authenticity to it that otherwise might have gone
astray, and the inclusion of Byron's poetic rhythms only add to the
decadent sweetness of the tale.
Graeme Strachan
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