The Big Bite-Sized Breakfast Show is one of those uniquely successful Fringe shows.
The show is a collection of several, in this case five, 10- to 15-minute one-act plays using four different authors who seem to write for the same cast of five actors; a great ensemble which includes Claira Amy Parr, Rosie Edwards, Tom Hartwell, Polly Smith and Thomas Willshire (playwright times three) directed skillfully by Tom Linden-McCarron. Artistic Director Nicholas Brice has once again wrangled an able collection of talent.
The first in the collection is Honk by Barry Wood. It would appear the “good cop / bad cop” pair have arrested a man who has “punched a duck” because he “stole my bread. Lots of surprises come to light.
The second, Of Their Own by Thomas Willshire, examines the future of Beatrice and Hilly (they are both over 30 sometime before the 1900s) as between Death and Birmingham.
The third is The New Normal by J Joseph Cox, which fulfils our nightmare of new management and the changes they initiate which alert in the aside observation of a cavity search. That’s just the beginning.
The fifth, Charity, again by Willshire, pits the actors as a variety of animal.
The fourth, The Improv Class by John Connon, exposes the audience to the workings of an improv class where the starting premise has as its catalyst “yes, and”. Our focused performer has trouble with reality and logic creeping in and halting the scene. All of the one-acts have the set-up and punch-line humour, but The Improv Class plows a uniquely powerful take on early onset dementia.
All of these one-acts fit well together and move easily from one to another. The Big Bite-Sized Breakfast Plays are like a box of chocolates: something for everyone.