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Fringe 2006 Reviews (61)
Whale Music
by Anthony Minghella
Stage Presence
Sweet ECA, Edinburgh College of Art
***
Stage Presence give a thoughtful, truthful rendition of Minghella's
story about six women whose lives are touched by the unwanted pregnancy
of a friend. Again, no programmes (a bit of a problem at the Fringe
this year, it seems), but the actress playing the pregnant Caroline
showed a maturity and skill well beyond her years and was well supported
by the rest of the cast in an ensemble which worked extremely well together.
This production shows the Fringe in one of its most valuable roles,
giving young performers the opportunity to showcase and develop their
skills. Expect to see Stage Presence back in years to come.
Louise Hill
Little Red Riding Hood
The Boy Who Cried Theatre Company
C Cubed
***
In this dark take on the well-loved fairy tale, The Boy Who Cried Theatre
Company take the audience on a journey off the beaten path in a semi-physical
theatre interpretation of Red Riding Hood's doomed visit to granny's
cottage.
This production has some fine ideas, including a forest of women chopped
down by the gallant wood-cutter (was this intended as mysogynistically
as it seemed?), some neat, fluid role-swapping and excellent a capella
vocal pieces. The ensemble performance works well, and shows this young
company to be an audacious talent with strong original ideas about performance
and the boldness required to pull them off. Given this, the actors could
have been more sure of themselves, but this is nothing more experience
won't cure. The Boy Who Cried may be young, but they show a skill for
story-telling beyond their years which experience can only improve.
Louise Hill
AmericanVaudeville
By Jon Morris and Scott Nankivel
High Priests of Hijinks
Pleasance King Dome
***
Morris and Nankivel are two performers who are charismatic, endearing,
and highly enthusiastic about their subject - the golden age of the
American Vaudeville era. Interestingly, their show is strongest when
they're educating the audience about this captivating era in American
entertainment history, while the parts of the performance which use
the story of fictional act Chester and Plunkett feels a bit threadbare.
Their chemistry is evident and they are wholly believable as the double
act - but it's hard to believe that Chester and Plunkett would stand
much chance of rising to the top of this cutthroat industry, and their
competition for the hand of a fellow vaudeville star seems contrived.
Rachel Lynn Brody
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