|
|
|
The
Edinburgh Fringe
|
|
|
|
Fringe 2007 Reviews (64)Incarnate More dances and less ketchup would have benefited this production. Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag inspired this production, we are told. The opening is intriguing. A dance is performed by very talented eight young performers moving in tandem to the sound of their feet. The unity dissolves into a disjointed reality, until there is a total breaking up of the group. The scene rapidly changes. The audience is then exposed to frontal nudity and lots of ketchup. There was poetry in the four naked males' movement leading to a freeze with their backs to the audience, exposing muscles and physical strength. However the scene of a dancer, fully clothed, performing the agony of an injured voiceless individual, had greater impact than all the ketchup splashed on stage on naked bodies. The idea of brutality was captured forcefully by placing a naked female dancer in a cellophane 'body-bag' filled also with red substance. Her movements in a desperate attempt to break free and her eventual emergence from that struggle brings her fully naked body pounding to the foot of the stairs, too close for comfort to the audience. In between these scenes there was vomiting and brutalising of a female body and lots and lots of ketchup that reeked in the auditorium. It is a nauseating experience, but not very successful in conjuring up the brutality in Brazil, which is what this play is supposed to be about. Rivka Jacobson The Man Who Planted Trees Jean Giono's story from the 1950s seems to have far more relevance in today's world where issues of deforestation and destruction of the natural environment have suddenly become huge concerns. The show opens with what can only be described as a very funny comedy double act routine between a very enthusiastic dog, operated and voiced by Rick Conte, and Jean, played by Richard Medrington, as the dog's 'straight man'. The dog is asked to play the dog in the story, which Jean then tells to the audience. Jean takes us back to when he was walking through the French countryside when he comes across a shepherd who gives him some water to drink from his well. The shepherd lives with his dog, and he has set himself a mission to plant thousands of trees. The story takes us through two world wars and the actions of corrupt politicians, some of which have an impact on the forest, but the shepherd isn't swayed from his task. There are obvious themes about conservation, war and greed, but the story is also a parable about how one man can make a huge difference with a lot of hard work and determination. Medrington tells the story at a nice, relaxed pace as small pieces of scenery and puppets of various kinds come on and off and play their parts. The audience is not only expected to use its eyes and ears, however, as smells are wafted over them a couple of times (pleasant ones) and they are sprayed with mist and rain. This is just a wonderful, enchanting piece of theatre for children or for adults. There is some genuinely very funny comedy that appeals to all ages at the same time and some parts that are really quite moving. The puppets and the sets are great, the story is beautifully told and Dog is a superb comic character. This show is expertly put together and is extremely entertaining, and has deservedly been selling out performances at the lovely little Netherbow Theatre in the Scottish Storytelling Centre on the Royal Mile. David Chadderton Playing Burton Josh Richards has returned to the Fringe in Mark Jenkins' Playing Burton directed by Guy Masterson. These three young warriors of the 1990's have become part of British Theatre's old guard. Each has developed their own niche but this coming together is a perfect balance. Originally brought to the Fringe in 1994, Playing Burton is meant to dig under the "Liz and Dick" muck and provide some insight into and history of the man originally named Richard Jenkins. Mark Jenkins' play is very much in the here and now of Burton looking back on his life as a Welsh coal miner's son rocketed into the limelight, more for his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor than his much respected acting career. Before Warhol limited fame to fifteen minutes, Burton of "Liz and Dick" fame often provided the tabloids as well as respected newspapers with limitless fodder. Burton wore the heavy mantle of fame well. With Josh Richards' homage, we see little of the celebrity that was Burton. Richards' Burton begins with his Welsh childhood and transformation. It's hard to let go of the miner's tradition but under the paternalist wing of acting coach Philip Burton, Richard Jenkins' future as a miner is sealed off and his Hollywood star quickly meteors. It's almost painful to watch. Never aiming for the sombre or self-pitying, Richards' proves his love and respect of his character. And for his audience. His performance is so subtle as to woo the audience in. Dramatic effects are light; the set is dressed only with the requisite bottle, glass and cigarettes as props. Playing Burton is an actor's dream and not to be missed, even by those who never knew the personae that was Richard Burton. It'll knock your "red" socks off. Catherine Lamm
|
|
|