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Fringe 2008 Reviews (105)
Mort
Paradox Productions
C
***
Stephen Brigg's adaptation of Pratchett's seminal comedy about Death
taking an apprentice is brought to the stage with a decent amount of
passion, and some technical wizardry, not least of all to bring a seven-foot
tall glowing-eyed grim reaper convincingly to stage with a booming all
surrounding voice and still enough savvy to improvise when necessary.
Following the story of the novel more or less exactly, the jolly tale
moves with a speed and pepper that outstrip the development of the characters
onstage. The acting is capable considering the flippant material but
sadly, while the jokes land home with a good measure of comic timing,
much of the plotting and scene changing come across as clunky and ham-fisted.
Much of this comes from the script's condensing of the novel into such
a short period, but the effect is still a thin storyline that feels
slightly awkward. Another problem with this is the staging of a climactic
sword-fight between Mort and Death which doesn't come off very well
and subsequently the ending feels underwritten.
All in all, a decent production of what is still a problematic production
for any company without the resources to properly devote the necessary
expense and time to the staging.
Graeme Strachan
Don't Say a Word
Sole Purpose Productions
Quaker Meeting House
**(*)
It's difficult to portray spousal abuse onstage, as the issue is powerful
enough to swamp the production with emotion and supersede the story
with manipulation. Thankfully in this case the subject is broached without
any blatant emotional manipulation. Patricia Byrne tells us the story
of Pauline and Paul, and the relationship which builds from the first
few meetings through to marriage and then into a downward spiral of
abuse and victimisation. The result is almost a textbook depiction of
a controlling relationship, as the constraints and limitations placed
on Pauline by her controlling husband move from the menial to the ridiculous
before he begins being physically violent towards her.
Performing this one woman show with some skill, Patricia Byrne manages
to convey both the terror and the overwrought pain inherent to the situation
quite well. However there is a stilted quality to her delivery that
divorces her from the immediacy of the emotions, with every word over-annunciated
and clinical. The contrast is that her segments as Paul, showing the
counter opinion are far more naturalistic, as she adopts a deeper timber
of voice and mannerisms befitting a middle-aged man. This only goes
to underline the disparities in the writing between the two characters
as Paul is little more than a cardboard cut-out with the most sterotypical
motivations and background. The result is that for all of the power
and depth given to Pauline's story, it seems almost by the numbers,
straight from the pages of a glossy magazine's exploitative tale of
abuse. This is a shame considering the importance of bringing such a
subject to light, but in this case it feels like case of preaching to
the converted.
Graeme Strachan
Lost Soul Music
White Rose Theatre for Belt Up
C Central
****
In the lazy and debauched surrounding of C venue's Red Room, more like
an Opium den than a venue, complete with the odd chaise longue and cushions
aplenty, the audience are encouraged to recline and enjoy the occasionally
absurd and terribly enjoyable fun during one of six alternating shows
on the theme of losing one's soul. On the night I happened by, it was
a story about a kind and deliberate young woman, haunted by two manifestations
of her own worry in the form of shabbily dressed Morris and Maude. They
lambasted her goodly ways and the pain that had been caused by her honesty
and thoughtfulness. With snappy jazz numbers and toe-tapping songs tied
in throughout, it's a jolly ripping hour of fun and laughs as the skilled
cast wind up a mirthful burlesque. Plenty of fun, and with the chance
of six different shows to see, all the more reason to pop in.
Graeme Strachan
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