|
Fringe 2008 Reviews (36)
The Six Wives of Timothy Leary
Weaver Hughes Ensemble
Pleasance Dome
***(*)
My uncertainty about the number of stars to award this production (three
or four) has nothing to do with the production values or the performances,
all of which are excellent, but with the raison d'être
of the piece: six women telling us about their lives with "turn
on, tune in, drop out" psychedelic drugs guru Timothy Leary.
This looking at a man through the eyes of his wives is not a new idea:
we saw it some years ago in Edinburgh and elsewhere with Picassos'
Women, and it works well if the man under scrutiny (and his wives)
are interesting enough. I'm not sure that Leary and his wives are, at
least on the basis of what we learn from the play. The fact that each
if the six wives have their say (and talk together) in just under an
hour and a half, also means that none can go into very much depth. Obviously
they each represent a different time of his life and each is a different
personality. In contrast, Picasso's Women, with each being given
a play, was able to allow a lot of character development as well as
deepen our understanding of the man.
I have no criticism of the performance - each actress does her job
convincingly and well - but the play doesn't have much to say to anyone
who isn't already knowledgeable about Leary.
Peter Lathan
Sister Cities
Sidewalk Studio Theatre Productions
Gilded Balloon Teviot
****
Sister Cities has much in common with Shelagh Stevenson's The
Memory of Water. It deals with the return of four somewhat estranged
sisters (three in Stevenson's play) to their home following the death
of their mother and examines their strained relationships. It differs
from Memory in that it introduces a theme which many see as very
pertinent in modern society, although it would be unfair on those who
are going to see it to reveal what that is, so I won't!
Each sister - the hot-shot lawyer, the school teacher, the writer and
the student - has gone her own way and they are very different to each
other. The four actresses (no programme so no names, I'm afraid) capture
these relationships beautifully - the edginess, the sibling rivalry,
the underlying love - and we are also treated to a lovely flashback
cameo from Jill Gascoine (probably best known for playing DI Maggie
Forbes in the 80s TV series The Gentle Touch but now living in
Los Angeles) as the mother.
The title, incidentally, comes from the fact that each sister is named
after the city in which they were born (except the oldest, Carolina,
who is named after a state - or rather, two states).
There is nothing of the experimental here, but it is a well-written,
well-performed play with nicely observed characters and deals with an
important topic.
Peter Lathan
The Three Musketeers
Faultless and Torrance - Festival Highlights
Underbelly
***
'In a far off land we can only dream of - France!' two actors tell
their tale. Yes, two. Obviously this causes havoc with the title of
the show, there being three Musketeers, not to mention D'Artagnon himself.
And so begins a show of fast paced costume changes, numerous silly hats
and not-quite visual trickery. In their wellies and waders, washing
up gloves and bath mats the two female actors perform with great inventiveness
and enthusiasm. Whilst this show should have possibly been called 'The
Three Musketeers - The Pantomime' it provides a fun morning's entertainment
for all ages.
Cecily Boys
Next
page - - - Index
|
