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Fringe 2010 Reviews (57)
Jim Jefferies - Alcoloholocaust
McEwan Hall, Udderbelly's Pasture.
***
With his pint in hand and plenty of cussing belched out onto the audience, I was worried this was just a pub landlord from down under. This self-confessed alcoholic, though he can swear like trooper, isn't afraid to venture outside of the humour of the drinking establishment.
Jefferies rightly has a go at the audience for being so entertained when he jokes about lesbians but draw a deep breath when he starts having a go, in a far less aggressive and more intelligent way, at Christians. The comic does attract a rather reactionary, unimaginative crowd, but he knows this and manages to take them out of their comfort zone.
The audience wasn't my only gripe; this is not a good venue for stand-up comedy. Even with the stalls almost full, the McEwan Hall feels empty, but worse it just doesn't suit comedy, particularly the sort of down-to-earth storytelling that Jim does so well. For a musical comedian like Bailey or Minchin, this place is perfect, but I don't know what the Udderbelly is thinking putting Jefferies here.
Seth Ewin
Tabú
Nofit State
Nofit State Circus, Leith Walk.
*****
Where are the real stars of this year's Fringe? Bristo Square? The Assembly Rooms? The Traverse? No, head down to a large derelict area on Leith Walk where some mad performers have decided to erect a big top and there you can enter a whole world of dreams.
You never know where to look as the seemingly demented members of Nofit State Circus brush past you mumbling before suddenly ascending to the roof to perform a beautiful piece above your head. Acts are a lot more than shows of skill and agility; it's often tremendously fun. A girl in high heels rolls a cigarette while walking a tight rope. There is clowning on the trapeze that has you switching between gasps and laughter at ridiculous rate.
What really enlivens this performance is the familiarity the performers have with the audience. There's a real warmth within the tent that allows you to really feel for the acts. The narrative running through the acts and the hilarious little details give you an abundance of art to wallow in. You really wish for eyes on the back of your head so you can see what every performer is bringing to life in whatever part of the tent they are.
See the circus before it leaves town and takes its magic with it.
Seth Ewin
How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse: Reloaded
After Dark
Zoo Southside.
****
The impending and inevitable rise of the undead is still... well it's still impending, and Dr Dale and his elite group of professional Apocalypse survivors are on hand once again to ensure that at the very least a few people manage to survive and continue the human race. In fact propagation seems to be very much on the mind of some of the team.
Instead of simply re-hashing the previous year's show, After Dark have altered the premise in order to see who would make it through the zombie uprising intact through a series of simple questions and tests. Audience interaction is encouraged as well as welcomed as the show begins even when the queues are forming outside with the cast mingling in full character with the crowds.
The production hasn't let up from last year in terms of the quality of writing and the cast's ability to improvise on the spot without ever breaking stride is better than ever. The slightly sneering expertise of Ben Muir's Dr Dale, Donald, the sex-obsessed survivalist, biologist Judy and newcomer Tristan (whose expertise is yet to be defined). The only downside is the fact that the show feels short at a single hour, as the breadth of humour and wit on display makes you long for more. When the zombies do inevitably arrive, I know who I'll be relying on.
Graeme Strachan
The Demise of Christopher Marlowe
By Sarah Goddard
Five One Productions
C Central.
***
Christopher Marlowe is in trouble, he knows more than he should, and it's not going to end well for him, this much is clear to anyone who knows their Elizabethan history. The problem is that the historical context of the play and the political machinations are such that the story unavoidably but laboriously re-iterates the political connections and pasts of the main character and often their connections with people who are scarcely mentioned in the play again. While the context is such that it's still comprehensible without this level of detailing, I suppose that most people won't have heard off the Babington Plot or know the links between it and Kit Marlowe.
The actors seem perfectly at home with the semi-period dialogue, giving it their all throughout, especially the sneeringly loathsome Robert Poley as portrayed by Sean Turner, his burgeoning hatred and fear driving events through his manipulation of Marlowe and Queen Elizabeth.
It's curiously only the actual demise of Marlowe himself that fails to live up to the rest of the production. In the effort to make the scuffle seem real on stage the result is that it appears a little too uninspiring. When the build up has been so good, to have the titular event occur with such matter-of-factness seems at odds with the build up. As it stands it' a finely written intrigue-filled romp that brings an interesting twist to a curious historical figure.
Graeme Strachan
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