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Fringe 2010 Reviews (46)
The Odyssey
By Homer, adapted by George Mann and Nir Poldi
Theatre Ad Infinitum
Pleasance Dome.
****
There is no doubt that this award-winning production is a technical tour de force. It should also act as a good complement to Enda Walsh’s Penelope at Traverse, which covers some of the same ground.
Homer’s classic takes only 70 minutes in this version, which at times can feel almost like a superhero comic, such is the rapidity of the telling and action-packed content.
It takes some time to come to terms with the style, which mixes physical theatre with story-telling.
At times, it seems that director Nir Poldi has asked his actor, the energetic George Mann to ensure that every phrase, and at times word, must have an associated action and this can be distracting.
Mann rushes through the tale of ordeals overcome and Gods outwitted, keeping the excitement levels high, which is easy enough to achieve with such dramatic original to draw upon.
Philip Fisher
Five Clever Courtesans
Cabinets of Curiosity
C Aquila.
**
What would happen if five of the most famous courtesans in history were placed in a room together, what would they say an what stories would they tell? Well if this production is anything to go by, then they’d probably recount some past dalliances then bicker a little before finally becoming best friends.
The dames in question are made of from the heady likes of Renaissance poet Veronica Franco, the legendary French courtesan Cora Pearl and concubine cum Empress Dowager Tzu-Hsi; each waxing lyrically, less so in the case of the actor prostitute Nell Gwynn. The women recount how they charmed and enticed the famous men of their day into their favours and contrast the different lifestyles and trials they were each put through. Some effort has been gone through here to show that the courtesans in question were intelligent women who were forced by society to sleep with men as a means of survival, which allowed them to follow their dreams and achieve the positions and occupations they really wanted. However this is slightly let down by the pedestrian script and the painful shoe-horning in of a critique of modern day plastic surgery, which overlooks both the fact that men are tempted by this surgical craze as well, and forgetting about such period fads as organ damaging corsetry.
The result is a slightly unbalanced piece where the characters are well realised but the play ultimately lacks a pinning; making the audience rather unaware of what the point really was, other than an excuse to have five historical hussies gasp and prance around in sexy clothes.
Graeme Strachan
Elsie and Mairi Go to War
By Diane Atkinson
Di the Dauntless
Dovecot.
***
The place of women on the fields of the Great War is something that isn't explored nearly often enough, which is why this production, adapted by Diane Atkinson from her recent book, offers a unique and interesting perspective.
Using the real life letters and journals of the titular pair of nurses, the audience are led through the horrors of the Great War, barely pausing for breath. Clare Waugh and Pauline Lockhart are both believable and sympathetic in their roles as Elsie and Mairi respectively, contrasting their personalities with each other and giving real steel to their hard work both behind the lines and finding fun whenever they could.
It's a shame then that the weak link in all of it is a rather dry and stilted narration from Atkinson herself, who narrates the events around the actors as if she was reading a phonebook. While this doesn't detract from the story too much, it does give over the impression that this is simply a list of events, when a mite more humour or humanity, such as in the similarly styled My Grandfather's Great War would have served far better.
Graeme Strachan
The Vaudevillains
Les Enfants Terribles
Pleasance Dome.
*****
It’s astounding that a production such as this was only being toured for a single night at the Fringe. Taking up the entirety of the Pleasance Dome building with an enthusiastic and vibrant crowd, the central stage forms the basis for a classic piece of Vaudeville theatre, resplendent in its execution and formed with masterful pacing, the setting of The Empire music hall was less a performance and more an event to be remembered.
From a jaunty opening number straight through to the explosive finale, every moment was filled with laughs, wit and charm. Bringing the audience slap bang into the mysterious murder of the Company owner Charlie by recounting each player’s sordid and bizarre life history and their possible motives, the production never ceased to amaze. From musical conjoined triplets to the schizoid ventriloquist and trembling knife-thrower, the heady mix of old-school japery and genuine fun being had was addictively overwhelming.
Les Enfants Terribles have created a showstopping musical comedy that frankly could have swept the entire Festival by storm. Instead by limiting it to a single performance they’ve created an exclusive curio, which Festival goers and critics alike can only hope and pray will return next year to a larger venue and a more fitting theatrical run.
Graeme Strachan
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