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Fringe 2009 Reviews (83)
Becoming Marilyn
By Bernie C. Byrnes
Assembly Rooms
****
Over the years, there have been far too many shows capitalising on
the popularity of the late Marilyn Monroe. It therefore says a lot that
this solo show featuring Issy van Randwyk is well worth a look.
The Fascinating Aida star gets the vocal intonations exactly right
and, although the look is more elusive, there are Marilyn moments on
a simple set, featuring a lovely Marilyn screen.
The attraction of this play is that rather than lionise the star, it
focuses on what it sees as the conflict between her Norma Jean self
and the Marilyn construct that covers a lifetime of unhappiness.
This started early with abuse and a series of foster parents, few of
whom had any love for the chubby, little brown-haired girl.
Writer Bernie C. Byrnes and director Gareth Armstrong then competently
move the story along, helped by a few perfectly delivered songs.
We hear about childhood, the steps (or is that beds?) to stardom and
the agonies even when well-established.
Along the way, we bump into Jane Russell, Joe DiMaggio and even Arthur
Miller in a surprisingly thorough biography for a mere hour or so. The
only thing missing is the iconic skirt-blowing scene from The Seven
Year Itch.
Becoming Marilyn will undoubtedly prove popular and deserves
to be, thanks to a well-written script and star performance from Issy
van Randwyk.
Philip Fisher
Johnny Meister and the Stitch
Jigsaw Theatre Company
The Space@Royal College of Surgeons
*****
Johnny Meister and the Stitch is one of those shows that sneaks up
on you, takes your breathe away and doesn't give it back to you until
the end - and you hadn't even noticed. This running-with-scissors theatre,
much like Enda Walsh's Disco Pigs, tells of the life of two Irish
lads with equal street creds who find that their paths have crossed
too many times to avoid a confrontation.
And, of course, a girl is involved. (Don't mistake this in any way
for a love story; at least not of that kind.) We get both their stories,
one after the other and then meet in the end.
This meaty, raw slice of Northern Irish street life is sketched in
detail by Rosemary Jenkinson who has an ear for the language while Brian
Marley and John Travers add the colour and dimension to the picture.
The accent may be a bit of a hindrance to start with and a few of the
words, even in context, elude, but the stories, the characters, the
relationships are accessible. The theatrical strategy of keeping their
stories separate may not have been they best choice but it keeps the
production tidy.
Marley and Travers have just enough menace to make the confrontation
believable and just enough charm to make us care.
Catherine Lamm
The Hotel
The Invisible Dot
Assembly Rooms
**
The Hotel won a Fringe First on the morning of the performance
under review, and to be frank, it is not easy to see why, in a year
of strong theatrical writing.
Mark Watson's concept is brilliant. Hire an old building, convert it
to a nameless hotel and fill it with eccentric staff.
Visitors can wander through, stopping where they will to enjoy the
entertainment and get involved, whether they like it or not.
The kitchen is manic but believable, the cabaret bar features a French
comedian, behind the admin door are some offensive bullies and the gym
is similarly bombastic.
There are some nice touches, including the sanitary cupboard (go and
see it to find out) and the manager's room, while a job interview in
the boardroom could have been a masterstroke but this, like so much
else, features puerile humour that if seen out of context would bomb
badly.
The Hotel really needs a re-write or possibly a tolerant audience
because this idea has the capacity to be one of the year's highlights.
Philip Fisher
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