|
Fringe 2009 Reviews (25)
Memento Mori
Leicester University Theatre
The Space on the Mile @ Jury's Inn
***
When the estate agent shows more interest in disappearing up a chimney
to see if a man could fit there than he does showing the house, it's
probably a good sign that he's not someone you ought to buy a house
from. Unless, of course, you yourself are looking for a place to dispose
of something uncomfortably illegal. Which is just the situation at play
in this short black comedy.
The humour in Leicester University Theatre's short play comes mainly
from the unwittingly similar allusions made between the two cast members,
the estate agent and the young man. Both have curiously missing wives
and a preoccupation for places round the house and grounds that could
be used to 'let things lie in peace'. It's a well rounded if short offering
and the ending, whilst predictable, is still amusing. Had it gone a
little further then it could have been brilliant but as it stands, a
solid little production with all the gloom and giggles it needs.
Graeme Strachan
One Man Lord of the Rings
By Charles Ross
Udderbelly
*****
After having wowed audiences with his masterful One Man Star Wars,
Charles Ross returns with the follow-up, finally having ironed out all
of the legal wrangles to bring One Man Lord of the Rings to the
festival. For those not in the know, the format is much the same as
before, Ross mimics and acts his way through the entire Lord of the
Rings film trilogy in just over an hour.
The genius of Ross' show isn't only the skill and sheer physical presence
he performs with, instead it's the manner with which he has taken the
most notable and easily identifiable moments and sends them up, making
fun of the worst line readings and the occasionally silly dialogue.
Just as with Star Wars, this will appeal to anyone who has seen
the films but even more to the hardcore fans. Truly another Fringe classic
from one of the genuine stars of the Festival.
Graeme Strachan
East 10th Street : Self Portrait
with Empty House
By Edgar Oliver
Traverse 2
**
You probably need to know, or at least know about, Edgar Oliver to
derive full value from East 10th Street. He is billed as "a
legendary New York theatre-icon" and for quarter of a century has
been performing and writing in the city.
This curious solo performance purports to be an autobiographical account
of life in a rooming house on New York's Lower East Side. So fantastic
are the stories and characters that there must be at least a degree
of invention, though each viewer can decide for him or herself how much.
This hour-long performance is lit from ankle-height and miked so that
the effect is positively eerie, accentuated by long shadows and the
kind of voice that Orson Welles might use when narrating a tale of mystery.
Oliver peoples a house that he discovered and instantly fell in love
with, portraying a group of grotesques including a couple of would-be
murderers, a geriatric former wet nurse and, latterly, the theatre director
with whom he fell head over heels in love, ignoring the pretty major
issue of difference in sexual preference.
The tales are sometimes amusing and, like the man, often over the top,
rather like a New York version of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the
City but without quite as much humour or charm.
Philip Fisher
Next
page - - - Index
|
