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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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Fringe 2007 Reviews (62)Fatboy Fatboy is alive and well, now played by Del Pentecost. He has replaced Mike McShane in the re-working of Alfred Jarry's Ubu plays, as the creator of the part is currently enjoying West End stardom in Little Shop of Horrors. John Clancy sets out to offend, the titular hero's opening sally consisting entirely of expletives. From there, it is all downhill as the writer/director seeks to tell a horrific tale of a maddened dictator in a bold style, while deconstructing his own show from time to time, seemingly out of sheer exhuberance. His direction is brave and imaginative, at times running two separate actions, one visual and one verbal, simultaneously, which challenges his audience and actors. The first act shows us the domestic life of Fatboy and his blowsy, nymphomaniac wife Queen Fudgie, played with great vigour by Nancy Walsh. The couple act like Punch and Judy insulting each other with voluble glee, coming to regular blows and bellyaching about lack of food and cash. Act Two sees Fatboy chained in a comic courtroom scene before a satirical judge with Groucho Marx intonations. This laughing jackass of a legislator is played by a very funny David Calvitto. The final act witnesses the accession of King Fatboy followed by the deaths of all parties. The style of this play, first seen on the Fringe in 2004, is constantly over the top and might be regarded by some as crude. The actors shout pretty much throughout and swear whenever possible. However, this is also one of the Fringe's funniest and fastest shows and those that can stomach its excesses will have a great time. Philip Fisher Unnatural Acts
Unnatural Acts is a witty situation comedy that succeeds more on the strength of the one-liners delivered by stand-up comedian Jason Wood than its simple plot line. The writers have already enjoyed Fringe success with Pete and Dud : Come Again and know how to amuse their visitors. Elliot (Wood) and Jessica Martin's Marsha are a far odder couple than Neil Simon's legendary New Yorkers. He is gay, while she has been ditched by her lover Stewart and is getting broody as 40 inexorably approaches. The solution is obvious. Elliot will provide sperm as long as he passes his AIDS test. The means of supply moves from turkey baster to something a little more personal; and surprisingly the couple even enjoy the experience. Then Marsha gets serious about her man and begins to think of a different kind of life together. That challenges their relationship and makes both reconsider their lives, particularly in the context of their previous failed attempts at love. There is not too much that is original here but the one-liners are great and both actors perform well under David Giles' direction. Philip Fisher Mark Watson - Can I briefly
talk to you about the point of life? After appearing from the midst of his audience, Mark Watson announced that he has a tendency to turn sports commentator at awkward moments. In the last twelve months, to use the same parlance, the boy(o) has done well, moving from, say, the comedic equivalent of Wycombe Wanderers into the big league, perhaps Tottenham. He is getting known on TV and has another book about to be published. More significantly in Edinburgh, he has been promoted from a cramped Portakabin into one of the biggest spaces in the city. Not only has this changed his status, it has also made a difference to his material and delivery. Where he used to sound like a shy boy sharing intimacies with new-found friends, now the possible Welshman (he ducked an audience question as to nationality) looks and sounds supremely confident and easily manages to entertain an audience of 500 or more. To the extent that there is a thread to his material, it is the events that occurred leading up to and on his 27th birthday six months ago. What Watson is good at is making the mundane occurrences of life extremely funny, either by his quirky outlook or the way that he tells 'em. He is a chronicler of contemporary society but, rather than focussing on celebrity and major events, the problems of shopping or travelling on a train catch his eye and give him material for gags, most of which are funny enough to explain why the sold-out signs grace his shows every night. It is a real shame that the sweet old Mark Watson is no longer with us but the new superstar is not a bad substitute. Philip Fisher |
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