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Fringe 2007 Reviews (67)
American Poodle
Guy Masterson & TTI
Asssembly Rooms
****
There is no doubt that Guy Masterson has juice. He has made the Assembly
his home for the past ten or so years. And - he has earned it! Masterson
is a triple threat; actor, director, writer. As a producer, he is wicked!
(Okay, that's four.) His productions may not always sail but he never
fails.
He more than proves his worth with American Poodle, two one-act
plays on the state of the Anglo/American relationships. In Snowball,
written and performed by Masterson, he gives us the English everyman's
take on how the English lost America. Masterson uses chronology to get
from beginning to end. It's quite a stinging history lesson. Masterson
moves effortlessly from character to character; the English King George
jumping on the furniture and farting versus the tepid George W the First
(that's George Washington) and the cronies who launched America in spite
of themselves. He's all feathers and fairy dust between these mammouth
decision makers of history. (Breathe, Guy!) Very funny stuff, this.
He consumes the stage and his topic with relish, lashing out at us 'til
we're bloody. The direction by Peter McNally is light and Masterson
wears it well. We love the characters as we swollow the bitter pill
of Masterson's dead-on take of the botch-up. Mastery.
Masterson's Snowball is hard to follow. Splayfoot by
Brian Parks doesn't quite work as well. The American counterpart is
a businessman, the ugly American in its most charming if numb form,
coming to the UK on a mission to buy some more good ol' English history
to add to take back to the collection. We get a good dose of how quaint
the dull Americans find their distant relatives. The script jumps back
and forth between the travels of this American and the insights of his
encounters, leaving the security of the airport to be launched by taxi
through the streets of London to the much anticipated business meeting.
The setup for the punchline is almost nonexistant so it comes in akwardly
and fails to get the proper respect. Not to worry. Veteran performer
David Calvito works hard at making the material fluid and facile. John
Clancy's direction has a stuttering feel to it as he moves his character
from arena to the next.
Catherine Lamm
Stonewall
By Rikki Beadle-Blair
Pleasance and Angelica
Pleasance
***
Following the events which led up to the Stonewall riots of 1969, the
play, by Rikki Beadle-Blair is very similar to his screenplay which
itself was based upon Martin Duberman's memoir of the events.
However some of the narrative devices which worked in the film seem
painfully ill at ease on stage, a particular example being the use of
period songs to which the actors would mime. Sadly this comes across
as sloppy rather than clever, and leads to wonder why the actors didn't
simply sing the songs themselves?
The story of the openly gay Mattie Dean and his on-off love affair
with La Miranda, a streetwise New York drag queen, is the impetus to
which the story finds its drive. But with the reduced running-time and
the decision to play out the piece as tongue-in-cheek comedy, the real
issues behind the relationship and the far more interesting dynamics
of the relationship are lost in the swirls of music and the attempts
to try and portray too much of the story. Tellingly the most rounded
characterisations were that of Bostonia, played by Beadle-Blair, and
her partner Vinnie, whose tragic love is the only real catharsis of
the play.
While the whole affair is well accomplished stylistically, and the
actors do their best to inject real feeling into the story, it never
manages to overcome the flippant and shallow nature of the script, which
is a shame considering the depth shown in the BBC film adaptation. Perhaps
with a longer running time, the play could have ironed out these issues,
but in this case the effect was one simply entertaining to look at but
little more than that.
Graeme Strachan
The Smile Off Your Face
Ontroerend Goed
C Soco
*****
It's confession time. Last night, my hands were bound, I was blindfolded
and put into a wheelchair. From there, the experience widened out as
I shared a bed and pillow talk with an attractive Belgian brunette and
then received sweetmeats from a woman dressed as an archbishop plus
much, much more.
If this sounds as if it should be an expensive night out, don't worry,
the cost of a good fish supper will allow you to enjoy the most sensual
experience in Edinburgh.
People might argue whether The Smile Off Your Face is really
theatre but few who have been lucky enough to enjoy it will deny that
the performance is extraordinary, titillating all five senses in the
space of no more than 20 minutes.
Trust is a big element, as one might imagine. Would you really expect
to enjoy being trussed up in a wheelchair and blindfolded by complete
strangers? If so, please don't write in. We are not that kind of site.
If you do choose to enter into the spirit of Ontroerend Goed's inventive
creation, you will be stimulated by Cocteau Twins type sounds, many
different physical sensations and the sweetest of aromas.
For some this might seem like a bad trip. However, if you give in to
The Smile Off Your Face's intoxicating charms, it deserves every
star that it can get and will keep people talking long after the Festival
has ended.
This is one Edinburgh event that the vast majority of lucky participants
will want to memorialise. In fact, I'm tempted to set up a Smile club
that could meet annually and reminisce about one of the finest Fringe
shows ever. The only quibble is with the title. It put a smile on
mine.
Philip Fisher
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