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Fringe 2008 Reviews (53)
The Burma Play - A Comedy
of Terror
By Pamela Brough Sandiford
Northern International Theatre
St John's Church
***
By one measure, this is one of the most worthwhile plays on the Fringe,
as its goal is to raise awareness of political repression in Burma,
not to mention cash to support those suffering there.
Pamela Brough Sandiford has written a brief theatrical history of the
country, concentrating on two eras. In 1947, Aung San took Burma to
independence from the patronising British but was assassinated before
he could enjoy the country's freedom.
Just over 40 years later, his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi repeated the
feat, this time attempting to release the country from the terrors of
The Butcher of Burma, a name that seems appropriate as tales of terrible
massacres are related. Still today, democracy is no more than a dream.
This short piece, subtitled "A Comedy of Terror", has the
jaunty feel of a Theatre in Education performance and is usually taken
around schools with the support of Amnesty International.
The performances of Cilla Baynes and David Bowen seem a little lost
in the glorious surroundings of St John's Church on Princes Street but
the music on numerous instruments from East and West of Omar Sattaur
certainly benefits from the fantastic acoustics.
Philip Fisher
Roy Walker - Goodbye, Mr Chips
Assembly Rooms.
***
Despite its subtitle, this star vehicle is not a stage version of James
Hilton's novel, filmed most famously with Robert Donat as the old schoolmaster.
The large audience knew exactly what they were getting and loved it.
Belfast-born Roy Walker is a TV and now radio icon with a big following.
Walker is an old fashioned stand-up, using mildly risqué material,
never swearing and big on eye contact with the front few rows.
After a long warm-up, he moved on to his own story, which included
periods in a boys' band, reform school and the army before a professional
career as a singer, then comedian. His first big break was with The
Comedians on TV and he clearly feels great affection for many of
his fellow comics from that show.
He was made, though, by selection as the presenter of Catchphrase,
a show that he compered for 14 years. After his "sacking",
he subsequently returned, gaining a new, younger audience working with
Chris Moyles on Radio 1.
The final section of the show had the audience going wild in two mini-versions
of Catchphrase with some tee-shirts given away. By the end, Walker's
devoted fans left delighted, none more so than those who had the highly-valued
shirts in their hands.
Philip Fisher
Ecstasy
By Irvine Welsh, adapted for the stage by Keith Wyatt
Easy Tiger Productions
Baby Belly
***
Irvine Welsh's tough language and simple plotting lend themselves to
adaptation for performance, although the behaviour of many of his creations
is not always easy to depict.
Ecstasy is a rather sweet love story amongst the junkie set
that both entertained and amused a primarily young audience.
Lloyd from Leith, portrayed with great energy by Jack McGowan, is a
lost soul, who, having reached his early 30s, is finally seeking love
rather than just another hole. For years, his nights have been fuelled
by drugs of every kind and he is constantly off his head.
Heather, played by Maddy Lewis who also directs, is a boring housewife
locked in a loveless marriage and seeking escape.
In 80 or so minutes of clubbing and getting over the after-effects,
the company take us deep into Irvine Welsh's seamy world, even managing
a happy ending after a brief hiccup of doubt.
Ecstasy feels a little too episodic and suffers from some far
from convincing accents but overcomes these minor quibbles, thanks to
the efforts of an enthusiastic cast and the underlying strength of the
original novel.
Philip Fisher
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