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Fringe 2011 Reviews (3)
Clare Plested: Vegas, Jesus
and Me
Underbelly
****
Clare Plested is the other half of the critically acclaimed Plested
and Brown who have had much success in Edinburgh in the past and this
year she presents her debut stand-up show at the Fringe and it's a sheer
delight.
It's based on her recent experience in marrying Adrian Hassell in Las
Vegas. For 45 minutes she retells their adventures in the 'sin city'
with an honesty and endearing charm. It is a fresh, witty and immensely
funny performance filled with scintillating personal anecdotes.
Clare's has a splendid rapport with her audience. She explained that
her full name was Clare Louise Anthony Plested whose initials spell
out Clap and the audience did just that to which she said, "But
as a pupil at a Catholic school I had no idea what the clap was and
now you have all given it to me!" Wonderful stuff.
Every day at school she saw a statue of Jesus staring down at her and
now she's married to a long curly haired carpenter. We learn about her
parents, her flight to Vegas, the organising of 61 guests and nine bridesmaids.
In fact, "The only way we could keep the cost down was to buy their
dresses from Primark."
All the stories are allegedly true. Her hen night was a visit to see
the Chippendales all dressed as nuns whilst Jesus and the disciples
got so drunk that one of them followed two girls into a car park where
he was tasered, mugged and left for dead but finally put to bed by some
friendly bouncers. Another ended up in hospital with no recollection
of how he got there.
To please her mum Clare paid $200 to be married by a priest who wasn't
even Catholic. We learn about the hotels that pump the air with oxygen,
have no clocks and ply the guests in the casino with free drinks, the
nightmare seating plans and the awful speeches.
They say, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but I'm
really glad that Clare breaks that rule and shared it all with us.
This was a sassy and vivacious performance. Don't miss it.
Robin Strapp
Dream Pill
By Rebecca Pritchard
Clean Break
Underbelly
****
Dream Pill is a moving yet uncomfortable play performed in an
intimate space where Tunde and Bola, two nine year old girls, have been
sex- trafficked to Britain and spend their days in a dingy, claustrophobic
basement.
We are seated up close to the stage and become part of the action as
one of the girls touches the long hair of a member of the audience and
asks us searching questions.
The two youngsters have a naive childish view of their sordid situation
and explain their tortuous journey from Nigeria to this country.
They are superstitious, afraid of talking in their sleep less demons
should enter, and they share their backgrounds and traditions with an
honest innocent childhood joy that will soon be shattered by the terror
of the sexual violation that is about to happen.
As one of them dresses up in a lurex dress and sparkling high heels
in order to meet her first 'client' we are tortured by the inevitability
of her fate.
Both Danielle Vitalis and Samantha Pearl give exuberant performances
perfectly capturing the youngster's gullibility all for the sake of
a Dream Pill. This is a stunning piece of theatre.
Robin Strapp
Teechers
By John Godber
Young Pleasance
Pleasance Forth
*****
The Young Pleasance's high-energy production of Teechers is
an absolute gem. The large cast of 27 talented youngsters have re-invented
Godber's classic play with a vital and dynamic ownership that simply
sparkles and fizzes.
This was accomplished ensemble acting played with attitude and commitment
and was great fun.
The gifted cast share the main parts by the device of sharing a costume,
the wearing of a jacket or a scarf or hat that is passed between them
which works superbly.
They say that your school days are the best of years of your life but
for the pupils of Whitehall Comprehensive this is far from the truth.
The appointment of a "spanking new, out of the box" Drama
teacher Mr Nixon brings a ray of hope to some of the drop-out students.
All of the stereotypes are there: the disaffected teachers, the school
'stud' Oggy Moxon, the cantankerous caretaker, the demonic Mr Basford
and the Head who is totally into her amateur dramatics and her production
of The Mikado.
This was a production that had you laughing out loud and reminded you
of all the memories of your own schooldays.
Young Pleasance punches way above its weight in this effervescent production.
Robin Strapp
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