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Fringe 2008 Reviews (57)
Jumping the Shark
See Ya Later Productions
C Cubed
**
It's not clear whether the title of this production was intended to
be sa ironically apt as it is. Taking the name from the a saying which
defines a
moment when a TV show becomes ridiculous at the expense of the plot,
the show is made up of a series of comedy sketches which all quickly
pass from the everyday to the ridiculous, throwing in a host of insane
moments and everything from an invisible sex offending Goose to a couple
who enforce their local neighbourhood watch with kinky bondage sessions.
The jokes are passable at best and while, the actors are enthusiastic,
the pacing of the show is all off, leading to punchlines misfiring and
moments that are more excruciatingly embarrassing than funny. Not particuarly
worth the effort.
Graeme Strachan
The Shadow
Feast Theatre
Baby Belly
***(*)
What happens when your shadow gets a life of its own? That's the story
which leads this trio of women to recant the tale of a poet and his
errant shadow. After strange events pull his shadow from him, the poet
finds him again fully formed and the roles begin to reverse. Then they
meet the beautiful princess and their differences descend into jealousy
and misdeeds.
What struck me most was the manner in which the players inhabited the
different characters they performed, complete with asides to the audience
and a bickering suited to the style. As a piece of vaudeville it works
wonderfully, capturing a magical slightly off-centre story that once
was the popular traffic of any stage. The story however still manages
to drag its feet and takes far too long to get underway, without ever
bothering to explain itself in any way or offer up any obvious meaning
behind the tale. Even so, the piece is well performed and has a charm
which makes the bizarre and curious tale all the more entertaining.
Graeme Strachan
The Baby and Fly Pie
Youth Arts Leicestershire
Quaker Meeting House
****
Youth Arts Leicestershire offer a captivating performance of Melvin
Burgess's book The Baby and the Fly Pie. The book, originally
aimed at children between 8 and 12 years, is brought to life in a fast-paced
production, exciting and gripping for all audiences.
Children scour the rubbish tip as a means of survival and the cosy
theatre offers an enhanced view of a cruel city, questioning society
about everything from gang violence, thieving and class divides.
This production of The Baby and Fly Pie resonates with ideas
in works such as Lanark and Animal Farm and it certainly
portrays a depraved and crumbling society.
Some work is still required to make the play move seamless (although
to be fair, this was the very first performance). However after a couple
of evenings I'm sure this show will be one of the most enthralling acts
at the Fringe.
Alison Burns
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