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Fringe 2008 Reviews (27)
On the Waterfront
By Budd Schulberg and Stan Silverman
Pleasance Courtyard
****
Steven Berkoff was always one to ignore standard practice and offers
the first interval at Pleasance in living memory. He also provides an
impressive theatrical production on a large scale with only the limited
set, backed by Liberty holding a meat hook, reminding visitors that
this is the Fringe.
For almost 2½ hours we are plunged into the tough world of Irish
immigrant longshoremen in 1950s New York, so familiar from the iconic
film starring Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint. The period is subtly
invoked by a constant soundtrack mixing jazz with rock and roll.
Simon Merrells plays the Brando part of Terry Malloy and like the whole
cast, acquits himself well. He is a former boxer with the legendary
line "I could have been a contender" followed by the lesser
known but equally evocative "I could have been somebody instead
of a bum".
With the encouragement of spunky convent girl Edie (Coral Beed) and
the burliest priest you ever saw, Vincenzo Nicoli's Father Barry, he
eventually regains the pride that seemed lost forever when he started
taking dives in the ring.
The impediment is John Forgeham's tough Gentleman Johnny, supported
by Terry's unscrupulous brother Charley The Gent (Robin Kingsland).
He is the leader of the union with a finger in every pie and a disciplinary
regime that can only be described as murderous.
The whole is presented in characteristic Berkoff style with his greatest
strength, creation of atmosphere especially through beautifully realised
slowed down action scenes, as good as ever.
The performance builds to a showdown that will be familiar to the film's
many devotees. This is proper theatre and should satisfy all those who
have seen enough solo shows and amateurish nightmares to last a lifetime.
Philip Fisher
I Caught Crabs in Walberswick
By Joel Horwood
Eastern Angles
Pleasance Courtyard
****
In a couple of efforts at Traverse, Joel Horwood has shown himself
to be a great talent and this coming of age comedy confirms the impression.
He is a chronicler of ordinary lives in Constable Country, this time
a town that sees Lowestoft as the height of sophistication and exciting
night life.
The story focuses on a trio of teenagers during their GCSEs and each
is a well-rounded, sympathetically drawn individual.
Aaron Foy as Fitz and Harry Hepple playing Wheeler are best mates with
different outlooks. The former has great common sense and needs it.
He lives with a father who three years on is still almost catatonic
following the loss of his wife and requires the support of his young
son to hold on to sanity.
Wheeler enjoys the luxuries of a stable family with money. He has university
aspirations and a good brain but the ability to bypass it after a couple
of drinks.
They enter into a wild, picaresque journey after meeting a gorgeous
nymphet called Dani(ella) (Gemma Soul). Spoilt does not adequately describe
this young, blonde heiress whose mother makes up for a broken home with
every luxury and great tolerance.
Dani persuades the boys that a night on the town would be more fun
than Biology revision and then winds them around her little finger with
consequences that could blight their lives forever.
All three of the younger actors play their parts perfectly, seemingly
recreating their own experiences - at least to an extent- while Andrew
Barron and Rosie Thomson as all of the parents prove to be character
actors with a sense of both drama and humour.
Philip Fisher
Departure Lounge
By Dougal Irvine
George Square Theatre
*
Read some other reviews, as the audience were whooping at the end,
having discovered some merit in this bland musical about boys behaving
boringly.
A quartet looking and singing like a boy band to the accompaniment
of a pair of acoustic guitars have got stuck at a Costa airport where
they relive the excesses of the previous week. Their ideas of humour
are strictly 18-30, talking about vomiting and shagging when they are
not calling each other gay.
The catalyst for the drama is slaggy Essex girl, Sophie. Each of them
has had sex with her except for her devastated boyfriend of around three
nights, Ross. He inevitably takes the news badly.
In song and insult, the show continues in this vein for 75 minutes.
If you have a puerile sense of humour and go for the obvious bad taste
jokes or if you love boy bands this might just be the one. Otherwise
.....
Philip Fisher
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