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Fringe 2007 Reviews (48)
The Art of Laughter
Written and performed by Jos Houbens
Assembly @ Aurora Nova
****
There is a real danger that Edinburgh will become a city of Jos Houbens
clones. Houbens is perhaps best known for his work with Complicite.
He is a genius of a clown, who knows everything that there is about
making people laugh.
He is using that experience to deliver masterclass lectures to packed
houses at Aurora Nova. It is a fair bet that most of the people shelling
out to buy tickets are fellow performers out to learn something.
At the beginning of his 40 minute chat, Houbens sounds rather like
some youngish college professor delivering a well-prepared speech on
an arecane subject, possibly anatomy.
His wisdom and experience soon shine through and as one might imagine,
he gets a lot of laughs as he analyses the way in which the human body
works and how to use it to persuade others to laugh. He then takes the
rapt audience through a number of techniques that together help to make
one a good physical actor.
There is no doubt that his audiences will learn a great deal. However,
without the remarkably loose-limbed body that makes him a master of
his art, they may discover that being Jos Houbens is not quite as easy
as he makes it look.
Philip Fisher
Victoria
By Dulcinea Langfelder based on a text by Charles Fariala
Dulcinea Langfelder & Co (Canada)
Assembly @ Aurora Nova
****
Victoria bravely takes on a subject rarely considered seriously
in theatre, let alone dance. The protagonist may think that she is still
30 but in all probability, left that age behind half a century ago.
Not only is she wheelchair bound but suffers from some kind of dementia
so bad that she is rarely able to finish the sentences that she so enthusiastically
starts.
The witty but also very moving text shows an old woman's deep frustration
and desire to recover her mind and freedom. This dissolves into a dance
as her night-gown transforms into a kind of toga and the wheelchair
becomes a liberating dance partner.
Creator and performer Dulcinea Langfelder and her wheely collaborator
make ideal partners in a beautiful sequence that really complements
the story with pace changes from languid to swooping.
Victoria's problems become those of her carer played by Eric Gingras.
He catches the mixture of affection and frustration that is inevitable
when dealing with somebody old enough to be his grandmother but acting
more like an infant.
In addition to the words and dance, there is also some excellent shadow
play to inject amusement into what could have become a depressing 80
minutes, although with such creative imagination demonstrated again
and again, that was never a serious risk.
Philip Fisher
Moths Ate My Dr Who Scarf
By Toby Hadoke
Toby Hadoke
Underbelly
*****
I was truly surprised at how much this show affected me. I went in
expecting something jovial and lighthearted, much of which I probably
wouldn't get - only having found my way to the Whoverse with the premiere
of Russell T Davies' new series.
Instead, I found myself profoundly moved by Hadoke's tale of being
a childhood geek obsessed with an imaginary universe which seemed to
hold the answers to all life's problems. This expertly-constructed show
begins when Hadoke's father leaves his family and follows through to
Hadoke's own experience of bonding with his son over the new series
of Who.
It is a warm, gentle, and utterly hysterical look into the life of
someone for whom sci-fi has truly made the world a better place, and
Hadoke does an expert job in spreading a bit of the doctor's positivity
and joy to his audience. Along the way, he also gives neophytes a basic
primer in the workings of the dedicated Dr Who fan.
Rachel Lynn Brody
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