|
Fringe 2007 Reviews (95)
Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Exeter University theatre Company
C Central
****
Each year, there will usually be a swathe of companies who decide to
try their hands at Shakespeare, usually with mixed results. This masterful
production of the tragedy, told in broad strokes by a a very able cast
manages to create a production which simplifies and still understands
the needs of the play.
Although harshly abridged the meat of the story remains intact, allowing
the focus to stay on the thrust of the main storyline, albeit taking
several large liberties and leaving a lot up to the imagination.
The cast are impeccable, especially Oli Holme's Caesar, who, at over
six foot tall, quite literally towers above the rest of the actors with
a regal majesty that captivates throughout every scene he is in.
The rest of the cast do their best and for the most part succeed in
making each character subtly different and distinct from one another.
The senators especially do a particularly good job of making each character
clear, often having only a line or two at most to create an individual
and unique performance; reaching a point where the personalities are
immediately apparent simply through body language.
The only let-down was the portrayal of the itinerant soothsayer, who
stood out most as clichéd and under-developed.
As a work of Shakespeare, the production is less of a success, as the
many narrative excisions make much of the later events unclear, marginalising
the character of Octavius and muddling the climactic confrontations.
But as a play in its own right, it rises above the standard of Fringe
fare and with a dedication and maturity rarely seen in such a young
cast and crew.
Graeme Strachan
If We Are Women
Arkle Theatre Company
Mayfield Salisbury Church
****(*)
One thing that always seems missing during the Fringe is a fully dressed
stage. So it was with great surprise upon entering the venue that I
was confronted with the two-tier kitchen and dining room of a beach
house. Thankfully the company also matched the setting with thoroughly
enjoyable performances all round.
The play is a touchingly frank look at the relationships between three
generations of women in one family, after they come together to support
the recently bereaved Jessica. Tensions begin to fray and bickering
ensues as we are led on a journey through the lives, pains and beliefs
of Jessica's mother, Ruth; mother-in law Rachel, and daughter Polly.
Before taking a further confrontational turn when Polly brings unexpected
news, rallying her elders to advise her with their own individual philosophies.
The four actresses do a wonderful job of bringing the characters to
life, as the different ideologies fly in the faces of each other, and
the past regrets and lost dreams of the older women are told in a mixture
of implications, asides and old stories, with particular praise going
to Val Lennie's portrayal of the colourful and illiterate Ruth, who
gets the best lines and whose strange outlook on life is genuinely captivating
in its grotesquely backwards logic.
The one stand-out ill-note in all of this remains the strange fact
that throughout the entire production, no-one ever seems to spare a
moment of thought for Jessica's oft-mentioned deceased boyfriend. Considering
the overall theme of missed chances, regrets and sadness, it comes across
as strangely callous and odd that an event of such magnitude is of so
little account to both his partner and her daughter. However, that aside,
this is one of the best productions I've seen this year, and a far more
thoughtful and engaging piece than most.
Graeme Strachan
Cave of the Golden Calf
Golden Calf productions
Assembly Rooms
**
Despite billing itself as a both a brief history of cabaret shown through
performance and a showcase of new material, it felt it had little of
quality to offer. The stage show was ushered on with the bare minimum
of fuss and flair, and acts were thrown on and off with a few words
of encouragement from the compères; which was a shame as it featured
some decent cabaret performances. Although the periods were outlined
in a tired monologue before the acts began, they were largely left to
their own devices.
For the second half the acts seemed even more out to sea, and despite
the best efforts of Suppositori Spelling, Ryan Styles and the rest,
the whole affair has a lack of polish which severely detracts from the
entertainment factor.
Graeme Strachan
Next
page - - - Index
|
