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Fringe 2009 Reviews (10)
The Palace of the End
By Judith Thompson
Traverse 1
***
There is a real sense of déjà vu in seeing a play
exploring the tragic events of Iraq. Three or four years ago, it seemed
as if every other Fringe show was on this topic. Indeed, the first and
most entertaining part of The Palace of the End featured in the
same theatre during 2005 under the title of My Pyramids.
This transfer from the Royal Exchange in Manchester features a triptych
of testimonies looking at the War on Terror from the perspectives of
two Westerners peripherally involved and a woman in the eye of the storm.
First on is Lynndie England, the GI caught on film committing atrocities
in the name of freedom. Kellie Bright (whose name could hardly be less
appropriate for this slow-witted, unintentionally hilarious patriot)
does a great job in eliciting sympathy for her pregnant character.
The soldier had spent her whole life as a victim of cruelty so it is
natural that at 23 when she gets her first chance to call the shots
rather than be a butt of jokes, she leapt in. The problem was that in
humiliating and torturing cultured Iraqis, she offended every ethical
value imaginable.
Her story dovetails well with the others. Robert Demeger plays David
Kelly (another popular and highly potent stage symbol), who justifies
himself as a fatal overdose of pills kicks in.
Kelly is the UN Weapons Inspector who spilt his soul to the BBC's Andrew
Gilligan and was eventually hounded to death by the media.
This upstanding member of society apparently acted inexplicably, until
he tells a story of Iraqi friends who were senselessly raped and slaughtered
by American troops.
The final testimony comes from Eve Polycarpou in the role of Nehrjas,
the late wife of Saddam (Satan) Hussein's presidential rival, the leader
of a benign Communist Party.
She also details horrific stories of rape, torture and murder (including
her own) but this time perpetrated by state-sponsored killers in a building
known as The Palace of the End, where even children were seen as fair
game.
Canadian playwright Judith Thompson makes her points well but, despite
some worthy performances, her characters do not tell us too much that
has not already been said on Edinburgh stages in the past.
Philip Fisher
Djupid (The Deep)
Jon Atli Jonasson
Assembly Hall
****
The raw energy of this compelling monlogue hits the stage with powerful
presence from the start. Based on a true story, this fight for survival
involves all the confrontational reality of an everyday man in a panic-driven
plea for both breath and the life he loved. Setting out to work on the
300 tonne steel fishing boat the protagonist is a regular boy with a
regular dream of a new car and the possibility of one day giving the
girl he loves a lift home. He wakes to find himself submerged with the
sinking ship and the burning in his lungs begs for air. Portrayed with
exceptional energy, the actor gives an impacting performance, filling
his storytelling with both brutal truth and lyrical delivery. What really
makes this piece stand out is his strong Scottish accent marking the
poetry and harsh beauty of the writing with all the strident energy
of the Celtic music. A great production to see for stark simplicity,
strong writing and absolutely brilliant storytelling.
Sacha Voit
Been So Long
Book and Lyrics by Che Walker, Lyrics and Music by Arthur Darvill
Traverse 1
**
Been So Long may just seem familiar. The musical started life
as a straight play upstairs at the Royal Court over a decade ago.
Oddly, the problem with this re-working of a play that remains in the
mind as an amusing slice of love drama is not in the new element, Arthur
Darvill's soul music, but the script.
A story that anyway lacked depth suffers from further simplification
and some mechanical performances which suggest that Che Walker, who
directs his own play, cast it for vocal ability ahead of acting.
The characters are types who resist love for as long as possible but,
by the end of 100 or so minutes, all succumb.
Dick Bird has created a club, the Arizona, that looks the part. There,
Gil (Harry Hepple) is out for revenge. His target, the short but well-muscled
Raymond (Arinze Kene), has spent three years in jail but, before that,
prided himself on bedding a woman a night. This is a fine achievement,
given his penchant for chat-up lines that are laughable rather that
enticing.
The show brightens up with the arrival of a pair of extremely lively
girls. The Amazonian Yvonne (Naana Agyei-Ampadu) is a terrifying ball-breaker,
while her petite friend Simone (Cat Simmonds) is a single mother who
can never trust another man.
The soul singing and score of Been So Long are great, especially
from the two ladies and Kene, but the loving leaves much to be desired
(pun intended).
Philip Fisher
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