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Fringe 2009 Reviews (85)
Normality
Wordsmith's Theatre Factory
Pleasance Dome
*****
Wickedly funny, raw and entirely real, this beautifully performed and
brilliantly realised monologue is a remarkable piece of theatre. South
African Alex's "genetic gift" is Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis,
a degenerative disease which painfully twists and fuses his joints.
When he meets and falls for a journalist, he is jolted out of his normal
daily life.
Exquisitely observed, Alex is neither a noble hero nor a pitiable victim,
but sarcastic, bright, occasionally selfish and often gleeful in confounding
or using the prejudices of others. He is defiantly un-politically correct,
referring to himself as a cripple throughout, and even berating the
audience for being afraid to laugh at the daily ridiculousness his body
imposes upon him.
Shirley Ellis' intimate staging of this multi-layered production pulls
out all the stops, and the juxtaposition of the messy honesty of the
subject matter with the almost cabaret style of storytelling is intriguing
and effective.
Solo performer Pedro Kruger is utterly mesmerising, switching between
a host of supporting characters, Alex's own complex physicality and
the fantasy pianist showman of Alex's inner monologue. The excellently
performed songs which are interwoven through the narrative serve to
illustrate Alex's feelings, but are sometimes unnecessary and, in one
case, a little distracting, as Kruger's performance is so complete.
Though a coruscating insight into living normally with a disability,
at its heart this is a simple boy-meets-girl tale that will linger long
after the show is over.
Beth O'Brien
Controlled Falling Project
ThisSideUp Acrobatics
Udderbelly
*****
Dramatic Acrobatics.
A cast of four performers takes the audience on a pretend research
journey in a warehouse laboratory where three gymnasts and a professor
set up experiments in controlled falling and monitor the results. The
use of plastic action figures to set up an experiment guarantees a laugh,
heightens the anticipation and gives the performers some rest time.
Their performances, which are paced well, are faultless. The teamwork
is magnificent and the playful ragging which goes on between them is
brilliant.
We see stretches, leaps, falls, somersaults, twirls executed from floor
level to the upper reaches of the performance space. A wonderful sequence
showing off considerable balancing skill with a performer stretched
out within a spinning hoop was a real highlight. Leaps off see-saws
and high poles intermingle with dances with a crash dummy, bringing
a figurative beauty to the idea of dancing with death, which is what
these performers potentially do day in, day out, flying off into the
air, crashing onto the ground with no safety nets. Acrobatic gymnastics
never looked this good!
As they go, they keep a score as to how many times they've managed
to send their hat flying through the air and successfully land on their
hat, keeping the show fresh and giving that extra bit of performance
art that provides an ideal commentary on the office life that everyone
can relate to. And when the professor joins in, whether as percussionist
providing a live beat to their antics which fits in with the excellent
sound track, or trying the splits, it just adds one more element of
fun. It is hard to bring off a narrative thread which runs through a
physical feat show like this. Most companies I've seen on the fringe
with this style of show this year have tried and failed. This company
succeeds. It is no mean feat.
Leon Conrad
The Umbrella Birds: Sketches
from A Shop Changing Room
Avalon Promotions
Assembly @ George St
****
Delightful and quirky, this four woman sketch show takes an intimate
look behind the curtain of a shop changing room. Unlike the Birds' previous
two site-specific shows, the changing room in question is a set. It's
a clever premise, and one which lends itself well to uncovering comedy
which is about women, but not aimed patronisingly at them.
Emily Watson-Howes is great as the alpha-female wedding planner in
the opening sketch. A lovely scene with the former office worker parading
her outfit for her new "liberated… that's why I'm wearing
a corset" life as a burlesque artist ripples with knowing irony,
and a sketch with the terrific Fran Moulds as an embarrassing middle
class mother bellowing the details of her sex life with hapless Daddy
to her mortified daughter is a treat, as is a recurring story about
the two Christians waiting for the apocalypse. The four changing rooms
are used as a set and as genuine between-sketch changing rooms, which
practical touch adds a nice sense of immediacy.
The sketches are clever and witty rather than uproariously funny, but
they are very well acted and, on the whole, tautly written and well
observed. Some scenes are inevitably stronger than others; but none
ever approaches falling flat. Sophisticated and fun, this is a show
definitely worth trying on.
Beth O'Brien
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