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Fringe 2008 Reviews (16)
Inside Yerma
Andy Jordan Productions/Teatro dei Borgia
By Federico Garcia Lorca
Pleasance Dome
***
Inside Yerma is arguably the kind of show that Edinburgh is
designed to showcase. It is an unusual version of a classic presented
by an Italian company speaking in Spanish and heavily accented English.
It is even more unusual, in that the heroine is played by Daniele Nuccetelli,
a stocky, hairy-chested man with a tattoo on his left arm. If you hadn't
already worked it out, some suspension of disbelief is essential.
If nothing else, using a man provides a logical explanation as to why
this farmer's wife is barren. She gets sympathy from a quartet of townswomen
who support her but also look down on a wife's affliction from the lofty
heights of pregnancy and motherhood.
The strength of top Italian director Gianpiero Borgia's production,
which feels like a work in progress, is in its physical and visual aspects.
The actors use white chairs as versatile props and move fluidly to support
the story, while the lighting created by Borgia and producer Andy Jordan
enhances the experience.
There is also some moving song to create a satisfying impression that
will be helped as the actors gain confidence in a language that does
not yet feel natural (indeed a couple hardly use English at all).
Philip Fisher
Black Stuff
By Jonathan Young
SHAMS
Pleasance Courtyard
**
The Black Stuff of the title is oil and in Jonathan Young's comedy
there ain't none of it left. This represents a brilliant concept but
unfortunately, the writer gets lost in a social sitcom and misses an
opportunity for incisive political satire.
We first meet Sophie and Justin (a very enthusiastic Laura Lloyd and
the writer) on our way into the venue. They are happy newlyweds about
to embark on a honeymoon to remember in the Mexican (?) desert.
They end up at the gas station run by a native Mr Bean played by Toni
Arteaga. He specialises in slow movement and ripping off rich Sloaney
types like Sophie and Justin.
For something over an hour, the couple run out of petrol, diet coke,
water and patience with each other while the local makes astounding
strides in spoken English overnight and like a Hispanic Autolycus gets
every piece of Justin's clothing and very nearly his bride.
The comedy could easily have come from a sitcom pilot but lacks the
bite that this subject matter richly deserves.
Philip Fisher
Itsoseng
By Omphile Molusi
Pleasance Dome
***
If there were an award for most energy generated on the Fringe, Omphile
Molusi would undoubtedly be a top contender.
In this production, created with Johannesburg's Baxter Theatre and
on its way to Soho in September, Molusi tells a very personal story
of township life in the brave new South Africa in the years after the
election of Nelson Mandela in 1994.
It starts in the current day with William, or as he prefers Mawilla,
explaining why he has ducked a funeral, but not whose. For the next
75 minutes, he circles back to that point, having related a chilling
story of how regeneration failed to arrive for the inhabitants of Itsoseng
in the homeland of Bophuthatswana, North West Province.
All starts with hope, as protesters rise up and, in their efforts to
overturn the apartheid regime, burn down the local shopping complex.
In doing so, they destroy a fragile economy and spend the next fifteen
years vainly trying to get someone to fund its rebuilding.
The only escapes are drink, drugs and prostitution and Mawilla's story
has little cheer to offer us as his love story goes sour and work proves
elusive until it is too late.
After an overly-detailed opening, Itsoseng becomes a moving story about
a people who still desperately need help. In raising awareness of their
plight it is making a great contribution to a desperate cause.
Omphile Molusi really does give everything to his performance and injects
enough humour to ensure that this is a rewarding but also palatable
experience.
Philip Fisher
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