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Fringe 2007 Reviews (94)
Fruits of Life
GiaNic Group
Rocket @ Roxy Art House
***
Life imitates art in this interesting, highly original production from
Italian company, GiaNic Group. A wealthy artist hires two models to
simulate love for his paintings and forbids them to see each other outside
the workplace. His prohibition, of course, is the very thing which leads
to the lovers' transgression and, ultimately, their downfall.
What is unique about GiaNic's production is the method of its telling,
using a combination of spoken Italian and filmed subtitles. A strangely
effective distancing is achieved when not only the audience's first
language, but also certain events of the play, are played on screen,
while the more immediate actors on stage speak Italian and watch their
part-fantasy, part-reality lives played out on the screen.
Fruits of Life may not be the subtlest of stories, but the conviction
and passion with which it is acted out, particularly by the lovers and
the female lover's older sister, and the meshing of substance and fom,
make it one of the Fringe's more interesting experimental shows this
year.
Louise Hill
Bill Hicks: Slight Return
Festival Highlights
Pleasance Courtyard
*****
It's been three years since Chas Early first began to tread the Festival
boards in his uncanny performance as the spirit of the late, great Bill
Hicks, and so it's with some regret that I went into the single performance
of the show, which is slated to be its final tour.
To say that this show has matured with age would be an injustice to
the brilliance of the writing and the performance which have been in
evidence since Richard Hurst and Early first began touring the piece.
What has improved over time is the pair's understanding of which parts
of the performance hits home and what fell by the way side. As such,
the oration as it stands covers all of the best of the material, along
with nods to more recent events, including a hysterical indictment of
the myspace phenomenon with a Hicksian wink and a nod.
Unsurprisingly, as the hour came to a close, he seemed genuinely moved
in the final moments, giving his love to the adoring audience, we love
you too Chas; thanks for giving us Bill back, if only slightly.
Graeme Strachan
The Inimitable Dickens
The Mercators
Diverse Attractions
**
Telling the life story of Dickens interspaced with relevant and witty
scenes from his works performed sounds like a foolproof idea for an
interesting and entertaining play, yet somehow the Mercators manage
to succeed in creating a distinctly average piece which smacks sorely
of amateurism.
I'm not certain whether there had been a problem with the production,
or lack of preparation, but to have the entire cast reading from prompting
books was a tad disappointing, and given the ability they shown upon
breaking into a scene from the books, it left quite a curious sensation
that the production had been thrown together quite hastily.
The performances were sufficient to play the scenes of Oliver Twist,
Great Expectations and other famous works by Dickens but this
was not enough to prevent the dusty and wordy slog through his life
from sounding like a textbook. Not quite the worst of times, but I've
certainly known better resting places.
Graeme Strachan
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