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Fringe 2006 Reviews (48)
The Sperm Monologues
Sidestep Theatre Productions
E4 Udderbelly
***
The issue of sperm donation has again been in the media limelight with
the revocation of donor anonymity. Besides the legal and financial aspects
this poses, there are also the moral and emotional issues which affect
these men. The Sperm Monologues looks into the subject through
a series of addresses to the audience.
The three actors acquit themselves well in their multiple roles, ranging
from a hardened east-end criminal to a schoolboy and a gay Spaniard.
The tone is kept light and jocular for the majority of the play, with
hint of bittersweet regret and longing throughout.
There are occasionally more abstract monologues; those of a deaf-mute
and a Frenchman are of particular note, despite having to read subtitles
from a near illegible curtain. However the overall variety and pacing
of the performances are not quite enough to dispel the reality that
these are the same three actors returning again and again with minimal
costume and accent changes. Nor is the writing anywhere near as funny
as it evidently thinks it is.
The strengths lie in the more moving moments of the performance, where
we are led to genuinely believe the mixture of joy and sadness felt
by the speakers.
Grame Strachan
Chanbara
Yamoto
Pleasance Grand
*****
I've always been passionate about the martial arts and ever since watching
Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai my love for the art of the Samurai
has been strong. Chanbara does not fail to serve this great passion!
Eight of the Crazy 88 sword masters from Quentin Tarantino's Kill
Bill Volume 1, backed by the world famous Yamoto Drummers, create
a musical and thrilling visual delight. The sword masters give you short
little scenes to show different aspects and skills of this powerful
and beautiful art form. Yamoto put their stamp on the show, creating
the heart pounding soundtrack and also giving the drummers their moments
to shine.
This peice was superbly directed and choreographed giving so much light
and shade to this beautiful show, offering drama, action and beauty.
With a lighting a sound design to rival any top West End production
you felt you were in the beautiful & amazing world of Chanbara.
A pure gift to the eyes and ears!
Chanbara stands on top at this year's Fringe, a true shining
star of the festival. You will struggle to find anything so good and
have your breath taken away. So enjoy the most jaw dropping show out
there, then get back in the queue for another ticket!
Wayne Miller
I Love You, You're Perfect,
Now Change
By Joe Dipietro and Jimmy Roberts
Perfect Stage Productions
Greenside
****
With an abundance of choice at the Fringe, the queue at the box office
is the definite sign of a successful production. The energy was already
bubbling before the doors opened. The audience was excited, while I
was a little apprehensive. We waited just long enough to settle in our
seats before the production began and what a beginning! If an audience's
laughter is not confirmation of the enjoyment level, then I do not know
what is.
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, written by Joe Dipietro
and Jimmy Roberts, is defiantly a feel good musical ideal for anyone
old enough to date. There is something familiar about the anxiety of
embarking on a new love affair and all the rollercoaster emotions that
go hand in hand are identifiable to a universal audience. We will laugh
at ourselves as we watch this extremely polished production, directed
by Karen Edwards and it is our laughter that will, "nurse"
the "…delicious and vicious curse." (Lyrics taken from
the "Epilogue/I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change")
With a small cast of four players, creative cuts and economical decisions
were made to the original text; however there were times when the continuity
became muddled which affected the plot ever so slightly. For example,
the four main characters are identified from the beginning as Stan (Jez
Unwin), Pat (Alana Bell), Jason (George Rae) and Julie (Rachel Spurrell),
then half way through the production the players swap characters. Apparently,
the Director Karen Edwards wanted the actors to perform the numbers
that were best suited to them.
However, the performance on the whole was so powerful, that I forgot
I was in a church hall and felt like I had been transported to the London
Palladium. The chemistry between Pat, played effortlessly by Alana Bell
and Stan, played powerfully all the way through the production by, Jez
Unwin, was captivating. Each number was catch and memorable but the
song I walked out singing was "Stud and a Babe", performed
comically by George Rae and Rachel Spurrell.
Even with all the cuts to the original musical, this production successfully
brings together a series of vignettes that build the rhythm of life.
We travel through this, form relationships to marriage, kids, divorce
and death and then returning to the theme of falling in love all over
again with the last song, 'I Can Live With That', performed by Alana
Bell and George Rae. Anyone going to see this show will be energised.
Lennie Varvarides
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