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The
Edinburgh Fringe
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1998 Fringe Reviews 3
King of the Halls: a Rags
to Drag Story Written by Alison Yates, who also plays the lead character, Rose Puckett, this is a story of a nineteenth century porn actress who becomes a great Music Hall male impersonator and ends up owning the London Palladium. It is subtitled "A panorama of nineteenth century Music Hall", but it isn't. It is simply the story of one (fictitious) Music Hall star, told from an end of the twentieth century perspective. Full of deliberate anachronisms, it takes the odd swipe at the hypocrisy and cant of the Victorian era but it cannot really be called satire. Its gags are too indiscriminate to earn it that title. Satire requires "bite", a sense of disgust, which this play lacks. The author tries to get as many laughs as possible, when she would have made more impact by focusing her humour more tightly. Really it's a bit of a romp through some of the absurdities of the period, as we see them now, and the author misses no opportunity for a laugh. And yes, it gets laughs, but not as many as it should, partly because it is so indiscriminate but also because, to be honest, Alison Yates, unlike her co-performer Claire Mace, is clearly more writer than actress and she does mistime many of her gags. If what you're after is an undemanding light-weight piece with enough gags to keep you amused for three quarters of an hour or so, then King of the Halls will fit the bill well enough. Shakespeare! D'Good Stuff A bit of background first: Arts Reaching Middle & Elementary Schools is a publicly funded arts programme in Greenville County, South Carolina, and this group is made up of nine of its members who are all around the age of 16/17. This show is just what it's title says: the good bits of Shakepeare. In other words, all the sex and violence! We are taken on a journey through these "good bits" (from The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth) by two new York kids, Kurt and his girlfriend Courtney. Kurt is cool and hip while Courtney is... well, ever so romantic, and she just loves Romeo and Juliet! It's a fun show which takes a delightfully irreverent look at Shakespeare - some of the streetwise Kurt's comments are just what you always thought but never had the courage to say out loud! The performances are variable, as one would expect. The wooing scene between Kate (Payton Ashley) and Putruchio (Keith Terrance Craig) was particularly well done, and Sean Scarritt's send-up of a Method actor playing Romeo was a joy. It's a wonderful antidote to the intensity with which the majority of Fringe companies approach Shakespeare! drift... No Limits is a professional company for people with a learning disability, specialising in that area where dance and theatre meet - physical theatre. drift... is an exploration of human relationships, looking at whether we have purpose in our lives or whether we do just drift... drift... is more dance than theatre, but it makes its point clearly and with a great deal of impact. It is impossible to ignore the fact that the majority of the performers have a disability, but that enhances the piece rather than detracts from it, for they are able, through the expressiveness of movement, to express their feelings and ideas with greater subtlety than they could verbally. The specially composed music is atmospheric and the multi-level set allows a far greater range of movement than would be possible on a flat stage. Ideas are communicated clearly and effectively and the audience was totally absorbed by the piece from beginning to end. This was one of the shortest 55 minutes I have spent this Fringe! Next page - - - Index |
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