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Fringe 2007 Reviews (2)
Prints of Denmark
By Nick Bain
Mixed Company Productions
Sweet ECA
***(*)
Nick Bain's sharp satire about the fallout from the publication of
controversial Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed is engaging,
fast-paced, and well-performed.
Opening with conversational debate about the nature of free speech,
the cast then launches into a series of sketches which explore the media's
relationship to controversy, individual's relationships to ideas they
don't agree with (or sometimes even respect), and oversexed newsreaders
relationships to one another.
The design is slick, and the cast equally well-polished. Stacks of
newspapers are moved around the stage to create countertops, chairs,
and other bits of furniture, while at the same time the simple black-white-and-red-all-over
design theme keeps the audience's attention focused on the material
at hand.
The performers' initial claim that they will raise controversial matters
behind a veil of light humour, so as not to provoke too much ire from
those who disagree with their point of view, proves to be true throughout
the play. Perhaps due to the length of time between the prints' publication
and Prints' performance, the bite behind the specific incidents
explored is slightly less than it might have been ten months ago. We
know how the cartoon controversy turned out: exactly according to Bains'
suggestion. Something more upsetting to fundamentalism happened, and
everyone forgot there had ever been Danish cartoons which were found
a bit upsetting.
In this knowing nod to compassion-and-controversy fatigue, however,
Bains proves his keen understanding of the nature of the politics of
disagreement, disillusionment, apathy, and fundamentalism's response
to all three.
There are a few wrinkles to be worked out in the staging of Prints,
and cast members will hopefully become a bit more familiar with their
lines as the run progresses, but for a first performance Prints
does a bang-up job of providing a solid 55 minutes of entertainment.
Rachel Lynn Brody
A Number
By Caryl Churchill
Framework Theatre
Sweet City 2, Grassmarket
**
Tackling a two-hander by the UK’s darling of dynamic new writing,
which, five years earlier, has premiered at the Royal Court starring
Michael Gambon and Daniel Craig, is either ambitious or sucidal for
a fringe company.
Caryl Churchill’s turn of the millenium (2002) A Number
addresses the uneasy moral question of human cloning, as well as tackling
deeper issues of parenting, and the creation of individual identity
when the individuals in question come from exactly the same DNA. As
Churchill reminds us at one point, we are all 99% the same DNA anyway
(and in fact 30% the same DNA as lettuce).
Salter (Richard Alleman) is confronted by his cloned sons (all played
by Simon Rhodes) in a sequence of scenes, in which his decision to have
his original son cloned is unravelled with tragic and frightening consequences.
Churhill’s idyosyncractic dialogue, where every single word is
loaded into a pistol and fired off, does not give any leeway for lapses
in tension, and provides an emotionally blank canvas for the performers.
You can see why it might be a tempting prospect for a male showcase
of talent.
Both Alleman and Rhodes are good performers, who communicate the winding
path of the play with its truths and lies. Rhodes in particular dominates
the stage as bristling, menacing B1, the original son, and seems capable
of changing the entire shape of his body as he flits between B1 and
flimsy neurotic B2. However neither seem to fully convey the depth of
the relationship between them, and the spiky dialogue is left seeming
obscure and often flat.
The questions which A Number asks may be valid and important,
but Framework’s production does little to bring them to the surface.
Lucy Ribchester
Chanbara - Legend Of The Sword
Chanbara
Pleasance Grand
****
Returning to Edinburgh after last year's sensational show, Chanbara
this time bring The Legend Of The Sword to the Fringe to wow
audiences like only they can. And believe me, that is just what they
have done once again, wowed every member of the audience with their
dazzling new show.
The Legend Of The Sword tells the story of a sword that brings
greatness to whoever is in possession of the beautifully crafted weapon,
holding within it the spirits of its past masters.
As well as putting on a display of some of the most eye popping swordplay
and acrobatics, Legend Of The Sword has an amazing heart-pounding
soundtrack wich complements the beautiful, powerful story. This soundtrack
is provided by the thunderous and talented Wadaiko Drummers, and they
are a real treat to the ears!
After being one of the most talked about shows of 2006 Chanbara has
on offer once again one of the top shows of the year. Legend Of The
Sword is a guaranteed treat for the senses with a beautiful, exciting,
heart-pounding spectacle. Stop reading now and go get a ticket!
Wayne Miller
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