"The Walworth Farce" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Druid Theatre's production of Enda Walsh's "The Walworth Farce" was another award winner, and we'd heard good things. So despite it meaning an 11a.m. start on a Saturday we dragged ourselves out of bed and along to The Traverse. Even with its early start it was a sell out, so we settled down to be entertained.

Staged in a grubby rundown flat in the London borough of the title, the impressive set made me want to break out the marigolds. The tale of Dinny (Denis Conway) and his two young adult sons, Blake (Garrett Lombard) and Sean (Tadhg Murphy), starts somewhat confusingly until you realise you're seeing a play within a play. The daily routine of this dysfunctional family is to re-enact the events that led them to leave their idolised (idealised?) Cork City and 'settle' in the hustle and bustle of London.

Living in the shadow of their agoraphobic and paranoid father, Blake and Sean both take reassurance in their routine. However Sean in particular is starting to wonder if a better life might be awaiting him outside the flat, a realisation helped by his daily trips to Tesco to purchase the needed food for their play.

Despite the strong performances of the cast, especially Lombard in his multiple female roles I found myself wondering where exactly where we were going. People around me were laughing at what appeared to be the right places, whilst I sat barely smiling. The performances alone were struggling to hold my interest. Fortunately the arrival of Hayley (Natalie Best), the checkout girl from Tesco, just before the break brought a much needed lift.

The glimpses of the darker side to Dinny that we'd seen in the first act with his bullying and dictatorial treatment of his sons comes to fruition after the break. Rather than the polished and performed tale of the last day in Cork that's unfolding within their re-enactment, Sean finds the courage to confront his father with his true memories of that day. The brutality that his father, with Blake's help, inflicts on Hayley being the final catalyst. It's also a scene between Dinny and Hayley that results in the strongest audience reaction.

The ending is suitability dramatic, and tragic as befitting the farce in the title. However I was left feeling a little let down by it all - it just didn't work for me. Perhaps I need a little more sophistication with my farce. However I wholeheartedly agree about Ryvita.

"Hugh Hughes in...Story of a Rabbit" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Although "Hugh Hughes in...Story of a Rabbit" had been well received, even winning a Fringe First, this isn't always an indication that we'll find something wonderful (and shows how theatre is a very subjective experience). However the reviews and a recommendation from Helen Smith prompted us to give it a go.
Statler had reservations from the outset as I'm renowned for having a "low tear threshold", so a story that intertwines a tale of a dead rabbit and a dead father could result in a very soggy Waldorf. I'm infamous for having cried during Bambi - when he was born. However, despite its morbid subject matter this is very much a feel good show.

From being greeted with a handshake by Hugh Hughes (Shon Dale-Jones) at the door, to an audience member being given a cup of tea (as you drink a lot of tea when someone dies) to the explanation of where his father's soul was when Hughes was returning home after the funeral the whole show is wrapped in niceness and charm.

Dale-Jones' presents Hughes as a somewhat bumbling and simple character, who is likeable enough, but with a tendency to smile just a little too much. This was tempered by some audience interaction at the start - where we possibly saw the man behind the mask. We were apparently the first audience in which someone had tried lying to get a cup of tea, and the third to give Aled (the man behind the music) a round of applause when introduced...but hadn't applauded Hughes himself. In some ways the more spontaneous reactions to these events provided more humour than the later set pieces.

The projections on the back drop worked well as did most of the props, including a versatile Action Man. The upbeat ending was welcome, but did make me feel like I'd just spent some time with a life coach.

All in all I enjoyed the show at the time (despite the mad dash across the Courtyard to Markus Birdman at then end due to it overrunning), and felt I'd spent a pleasant afternoon. However the badges handed out by Hughes at the end are probably what I'll remember most.

Coming to a Theatre near YOU...

Well the Edinburgh Fringe is nearly over for another year, and we'll no doubt get round to posting some kind of 'highlights' post sometime soon, as well as writing up our two final reviews. But for a number of the shows we've seen this is far from the end, as they continue on to venues in London, around the UK and beyond. Here's where you can catch up with some of them...

Nonsenseroom's excellent production of Douglas Maxwell's "Ballad of James II" is one of the first to reach London with a short run at the Greenwich Theatre from 4th to 8th September.

The National Theatre of Scotland's "Venus as a Boy" based on Luke Sutherland's novel also reaches London on 4th September and runs until the 22nd at the Soho Theatre before visiting Glasgow's Citizens from 30th October to 10th November and then finishing up at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool from 15th to 17th November.

"Emergence-See" returns home to the USA with a number of dates around the country.

Fin Kennedy mentioned in a response to our review of "Mehndi Night" that he hoped to revive the show on returning to London following its reception in Edinburgh. No details yet, but keep an eye on Fin's blog for info.

Following an entirely sold out run of their incredibly intense production of the play version of "Blood Brothers" Lauder Studio Theatre company hope to schedule further performances in Fife. More info when get it.

Benchtours' stage-truck and "The Psychic Detective..." parks up in London from 29th to 31st August as part of the National theatre's 'Watch This Space" before hitting the road again to tour Orkney, Wick, Carrbridge, Skye, St. Andrews and East Lothian between the 8th and 23rd September. Although it didn't really work for us, others seem to have 'got it' and it is certainly something a little different. Full tour details on Benchtour's website.

TAG's production of David Greig's "Yellow Moon" returns home to the Citizens from 4th to 15th September after a hit run at the Traverse and then moves to The Round in Newcastle for 17th & 18th September before a visit to the Woodend Barn in Banchory on the 22nd.

That's all of the productions I could currently track down that have definite(ish) plans, although I'd certainly expect that "Damascus", "The Walworth Farce", "Hugh Hughes in Story of a Rabbit" and "Rebus McTaggart:Crimewarrior" will reappear in the coming months. If you manage to see some of these shows, do pop back and let us know how your opinions compared to our own.

"Failed States" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

"An innocent man finds himself trapped in a nightmare world, as laws designed to protect against the threat of terror wreak havoc." So far, so Fringe... and once you add in the fact that this is a musical, alarms bells should be ringing. Even more so when this is all in earnest seriousness rather than knowingly tongue in cheek. Had it not been for the show neatly filling a gap in our schedule I'd have been nowhere near "Failed States" but incredibly it turned out to be one of the highlights of my Fringe.

From the opening scene where "God Save the Queen" is cleverly combined with "The Star Spangled Banner" it's clear this is an intelligent and stylish production with a cast capable of pulling off the herculean task of making a musical about terror laws entertaining.

Set over the course of July 2005 the show focuses on Joseph who has found himself with financial links to terror suspects and under intense interrogation by the authorities. But we also see the effect this has on his family and wider circle, how attitudes towards him are affected by the 7/7 bombings in London. We are also asked to consider to what extent we are willing to have our rights and freedoms eroded in the nameof security. But while the show is up front about its political views, it doesn't shirk from giving dissenting views a voice.

There may not be any outstanding musical numbers here, but they all serve the story well and the "Tube" number is particularly effective. The performances are excellent all round. Joanna Heap as Anya gives a particularly strong vocal performance, while Guy Lewis as Joseph gives a real insight into his anguish and frustration. Marcus Ellard and Steve McNeil give Joseph's tormentors a surprising level of depth, and Fanos Xenofos as Anya's father Massoud makes his own reactions to Joseph's situation believable. The conceit of having Joseph's deteriorating mental state portrayed on stage by Andrew Mathys' Franz works far better than it has any right to.

Andrew Taylor's script is witty and subtle, making it's points without bludgeoning the audience with them. Although there is a lot of humour here it isn't at the expense of dramatic tension and there is one truly edge of your seat moment.

1215 Productions have put together a great piece of theatre, and although it has already been performed in London, I hope it can find a continuing life beyond the Fringe - it deserves to, and audiences deserve a chance to see it.

Failed States runs at the Pleasance Dome until 27th August at 15:30.

"Markus Birdman - Son of a Preacher Man" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

While not exactly outside our comfort zone, we don't normally go for out-and-out stand up comedy at the Fringe. Rightly or wrongly, I tend to assume that the good stand-ups are all on well past our bedtime and that someone in a 7pm slot will be more miss than hit. But after seeing Markus Birdman we might have to re-evaluate our thoughts for next year.

Birdman's set is themed loosely around the absurdities of religion and the religious, but also touches on fatherhood, right-wing attitudes and his relationship with his own father (the preacher of the title). He's an immediately engaging character and the audience are very quickly on-side, and despite his voiced concerns of losing some along the way as he picks off targets for offence one by one, the audience stays with him throughout.

Not that there is anything really offensive here, at least not to anyone other than the fiercely closed-minded religious. Some may find a few of the gags in poor taste, but that doesn't make them any less funny for the rest of the audience. And any accusations of prejudice can be quickly thrown out - although Christianity bears the brunt, Birdman dishes out the comedy at the expense of pretty much everyone. There are a couple of elements of the set such as the budget airline segment that stray a little from the central themes and instead go for some cheaper laughs, but they do hit the target.

In addition to a well honed routine Birdman has great rapport with the audience and is happy to encourage responses without fear of becoming a target.

This was pretty much an hour of solid and genuine laughter and at times I was left with tears in my eyes. If the finish had been just a little stronger, and if he'd stuck around a little longer to take the applause, I could easily have found myself on my feet.

Markus Birdman is on at the Pleasance Courtyard at 19:00 until the 27th.

"Tiny Dynamite" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group's production of "Tiny Dynamite" had been on my radar from before the Fringe programme was published, and was high on my list of shows to see. With a limited run and a late evening slot we found it hard to schedule in our plans, but we eventually committed to one final trip through to Edinburgh, largely based on wanting to see this. We needed our effort to be rewarded, and to a large extent it was.


While Abi Morgan's story of two friends, Anthony and Lucien, and their shared loves and losses is a great character piece, it's pretty thin narrative wise. As a result it needs strong performances from the cast to make their friendship believable and create a genuine level of chemistry with Madeleine, who becomes the object of their affection.

As the up-tight Lucien, Paul Schultz does well to convey his frustration at Anthony's carefree attitude while ensuring that we appreciate that his motives are good. Chris Condie seems supremely comfortable in his role as Anthony and succeeded in making his lifestyle choices sympathetic, while Lesley Paul's Madeleine is playfully flirty without appearing to toy with the emotions of her admirers.

Between them, the three actors achieved a dynamic that ensured we wanted a positive ending and that the omens of a repetition of a previous tragedy would remain unfulfilled. While the final outcome may not have been the one I was hoping for, it was certainly a perfectly satisfying conclusion.

The emotional investment the actors gained from the audience is all the more impressive given that much of their performances were reduced to mere vocals for a large part of the audience (myself included). Claire Wood's direction did well to realise much of the play - particularly the swimming scenes - and created a holiday-like atmosphere, however, the decision to locate a good portion of the action on the floor at the right hand side was hugely detrimental to the production. In a venue with several rows of seats on each raised tier this rendered several scenes out of sight of all but the front row. These scenes would have been much more effective staged on one of the raised areas, and I'm amazed this wasn't identified and corrected during the run.

Even with it's problems this was an enjoyable feelgood production that avoided becoming saccharine sweet. And it's a tribute to the performances that they managed to keep a Saturday night end-of-festival audience (who may have had a drink or two) fully attentive throughout.

Tiny Dynamite ran at Diverse Attractions 20th to 25th August.

Last of the Fringe for us and the Last Fringe Firsts

We had already booked "The Walworth Farce" and "Tiny Dynamite", but thanks to your suggestions both on the post and by e-mail we've sorted out our final day. Sorry we couldn't fit everything in, but our time machine is broken.

We've just booked up for "Hugh Hughes in...Story of A Rabbit", so we had better mention that it got a Fringe First.

And last but not least we're booked in for "Failed States".

Bank manager is delighted that the Fringe is almost over!

Black Watch on TV

Just a quick post to let you know that BBC will showing the National Theatre of Scotland's "Black Watch" on Monday 27 August at 10 p.m. It's a recording of an actual performance at Dingwall, not a TV dramatisation.

It's only on BBC2 Scotland - so if you're south of the border your best bet is if you've got Sky. BBC2 Scotland is on channel 990. I'm not sure if you can get it on Freeview or Virginmedia.

Scotsman Accounces Second Week Fringe Firsts

From this week's batch from The Scotsman we're pleased to see Emergence-See! joined the roll of honour.

"The Psychic Detective (and those disappeared)" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

"The Psychic Detective (and those disappeared)" is an ambitious project that aims to bring the world of film noir to the stage. Well maybe not quite the stage as such, for Benchtours' production is located in a specially adapted "theatre-truck".

The truck is essentially divided in half, with the auditorium on one side seating 20; and the stage area on the other side of a divide. The divide is solid with the exception of a window and a blind that can be opened to allow the audience to see the action or closed to allow images to be projected onto it. It's all very effectively done, although a protruding hand can be seen turning the blinds at times.

And behind the blind is undeniably impressive. Laura Hopkins has created a series of sets that imaginatively create a genuine sense of space and outside environment. There's a real feeling that you are viewing a much larger space than the dimensions of the truck could possibly permit and that sense of scale really has an impact.

The plot involves 1940's private eye Betts as his path crosses with underworld figures and dangerous dames, but as the show progresses it's gradually revealed that things are not what they seem. Visually and vocally the performances of the cast (Peter Clerke, Catherine Gillard and David Walshe) are well pitched for the piece – drawling dialogue complimented with long slow turns to the 'camera' with the cast almost appearing to be in 'black and white'. Equally, Helen Smith's dialogue evokes the noir genre when required to, but also includes some very sharp writing such as the scene where Betts is 'tricked' out of his confusion.

But while making "The Psychic Detective" interesting to watch and a technical marvel, none of this can take away from the fatal flaws in the production that render it ultimately unsatisfying. It takes too long to get from start to finish and is overly repetitive, but the bigger problem is that the 'finish' just isn't a finish. Now, I'll admit that I like my theatre to have a beginning, a middle, and an end, (although they don't necessarily need to be in that order). I can understand the attraction of shows with open endings but "The Psychic Detective" doesn't even take us to the middle of the tale it hints at. To me it's an unfathomable decision for a festival production, and just as the story appears to be taking a genre-defying turn it ends. The audience is left a little bewildered and one individual behind me appeared to assume (not unreasonably) that the 'to be continued' end title means 'after a short interval' rather than at some unknown future date. And given the apparent epic nature of the story that is revealed I'd be concerned Part 2 would continue into Parts 3, 4, 5 & 6.

As a visually and technically impressive production "The Psychic detective" will be hard to better, and the dialogue creates an authentic genre piece, but if you like your shows neatly boxed and self contained – this isn't for you.

"The Psychic Detective (and those disappeared)" runs until the 27th (not 21st) at 14:30 and 17:00 (meet at the Udderbelly box office 15 minutes before performance)

Black Watch - finally gets to London

After abortive previous attempts by National Theatre of Scotland to take "Black Watch" to London, The Stage is reporting The Barbican will be hosting it in June 2008.

After some tough investigative reporting (OK, I used the event calendar on The Barbican's website), it looks like it will be there from the 22 June to 26 July 2008. However there are no further details at the time of this post.

The Stage also mentions that "Black Watch" will also be returning to Scotland, so another opportunity for those who've not yet seen it.

Finalised Plans - Autumn/Winter 2007

aka

Life After The Festival

We really confused the booking office at The Traverse on Saturday. We actually booked to see something after the Fringe... And going by our ticket numbers, it looks like very few people are looking beyond that at the moment.

We teased you with our plans in an earlier post. However we've now sorted out our plans for the next few months, so read on to find what delights await us and you.

We couldn't resist seeing Alan Cumming's return to Scotland, and the fact that it was an adaptation by David Greig ("Yellow Moon" and "Damascus") was an added bonus. So we booked our tickets in the beginning of April for NTS "The Bacchae" during its Glasgow run at the Theatre Royal. Having booked so long ago it's strange that it's only a couple of weeks to go. (Review now posted)

As Statler has already mentioned we're going on a tour of provincial theatre. Apparently London has some theatres, so we thought it was time to check them out. A Scottish invasion of the turf of the West End Whingers, Interval Drinks, Sean in the Stalls was long overdue. I don't think you could get 2 more contrasting shows than Elling (Review now posted)and Wicked (review now posted)(oh and we're going on the London Eye like the sad tourists we are). Restaurant recommendations gratefully received.

After the success of "We Will Rock You", I've persuaded Statler to come along to Glasgow Light Opera Club's production of "Fiddler On The Roof" at The King's in Glasgow. I'm not sure how he's going to cope, but as we're going en masse I hope it's going to be strength in numbers. And I can always sit at the opposite end of the row from him. (review now posted)

Although we're wandering far afield, we've also got plenty of things booked at one of our favourite theatres - The Citizens'. The popular Audiences with... format returns, and we'll be spending evenings with Sir Alex Ferguson, John Mortimer and Hillary Kaye and Paul Atterbury (Antiques Roadshow). If you haven't given one of these a try, they're well worth experiencing.

Next it's a little more conventional with "Hamlet" by the Citizens' Theatre company (Review now posted) and it's junior counterpart, the Young Company's "The Doctor and The Devils" (Review now posted). Keeping up with the supernatural sounding theme is "St Nicholas", a tale of modern day vampires. (Review now posted)

"Molly Sweeney", a joint production by The Citizens' and NTS, returns. As we didn't catch it first time round, we'll make the most of it's return. (Review now posted)

And despite protestations from Statler we're going to see "Peter Pan." (review now posted)

We're definitely back through in Edinburgh for "Rupture" at The Traverse (the show that caused the confusion when we booked) (review now posted). I have high hopes for this as it's come through the NTS Workshop like "Venus As A Boy" did.

We'll be making time to catch Nonsenseroom's Winter show - "It's A Wonderful Life"(Review now posted). Although we'll being going to one of the Rosslyn Chapel shows, a little bird tells us that this might be touring; so keep an eye out. Remember that a lot of the things we see do tour, so might be coming to a theatre near you.

As you can see we've got a full schedule over the coming months. We do hope to fit in "Antigone" at The Tron (Review now posted), and "The Wizard of Oz" at the Royal Lyceum Theatre. However we might run out of time for the latter of these two. (we made it - Review Now Posted)

We've been made aware of how lucky we are with ticket prices at some of the theatres we go to. Booking the London tickets (especially "Wicked") caused palpitations. And "The Bacchae" and "Fiddler on The Roof" weren't much better. Theatre doesn't need to be an expensive night out, but it certainly can be.

Since this post we've booked a couple of additional shows - "Hidden" at RSAMD (review now posted) and Oran Mor's 'surprise' 100th play. (review now posted) More details here.

"Kirsten O'Brien's Confessions of a Children's TV Presenter" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

This was a fairly late addition to our plans and was chosen as it fitted in with the other shows we had planned both in time and location. I was expecting a well rehearsed show with everything considered and measured, lacking spontaneity and without revealing tales people would prefer remain hidden. Boy was I wrong.

O'Brien gives us a run through her time as a Children's TV presenter - eleven year's worth at present along with anecdotes about life as a 'two bob' celebrity. While there are some very funny stories in here (the Brian Blessed ones in particular) and some revealing secrets, it's O'Brien's energy, charm and enthusiasm that really make it a hit. It is genuinely infectious and she is very comfortable interacting with the audience. It's also one of the few shows where, while there are obviously core elements to the routine, much of it seems largely unscripted and off the cuff. This gives it a little more edge and the suspicion that she just might be saying something that she really shouldn't be.

It's a real feelgood show and a great way to start an afternoon and is honestly well worth seeing even if you have no idea who she is!

"Kirsten O'Brien's Confessions..." runs until the 27th (not the 14th) at 14:10 at the Pleasance Courtyard.

"Blood Brothers" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Waldorf has always quite fancied seeing "Blood Brothers" but in its regular incarnation as a musical there was no chance of her getting me along to it. So when we discovered the Lauder Studio Theatre Company were doing the play version it was a compromise we could both live with. And I'm so glad I was persuaded to see this...

Willy Russell's tale of twin brothers brought up in different families but becoming friends without knowing the nature of their relationship, is a believable and straight-forward one with no unneccessary complications or contrivances.

The performances of Jacqueline Hannan as Mrs Johnston and Sarah Halliwell as Mrs Lyons were both impressive but it was the four younger central cast members that really blew me away tonight. Neil Thomas as Mickey gave an emotionally raw performance and did a great job of showing the transformation from carefree wild child to angry and frustrated young man. As Edward, Darren Martin made a suitably sheltered child, wide-eyed on his first glimpses of the 'real world' and then later as the adult Edward a sense of bewilderment at his loss of Mickey's friendship. Katie Milne brought a real level of angst to her role as the adult Linda and a sense of fun to her younger self. These three managed to generate a real and authentic level of chemistry to their relationships. Acting as our on-stage narrator Christopher Hunter maintained his level of visible distress throughout - despite the sometimes hilarious antics taking place in front of him, and was excellent when interacting with the mothers.

The whole cast was clearly throughly committed to their roles and prepared to suffer for them. There are no sound effects or pulled punches here - these guys really delivered quite savage violence with Edward receiving a serious beating from his mother and Linda delivering a slap to Mickey with such force that the audience gasped. I'm not entirely sure I can advocate this technique but it was certainly effective.

Those of you who read my reviews regulalry will know that I'm an absolute sucker for stylish/clever direction and Sam Boyd's had this in abundance. A nice portrayal of the factory production line, a visually stunning freeze-frame ending, and a wonderful segment of several short silent scenes showing time passing.

I loved this from start to finish and it has some of the best dramatic performances I've seen at the Fringe this year, but I do need to add a couple of caveats about the venue. There was some confusion/problem with ticketing and seats being oversold and I hope the venue/box office can ensure this is prevented in future. The room is far from ideal - the lack of any form of tiering must make viewing the performances difficult from a few rows back and the air con machine may pump cold air towards the stage but it forces warm air into the audience! But these are minor quibbles and if the cast are happy to suffer beatings and bruises I'm not really in a position to complain about such trivialities.

"Blood Brothers" runs on the 16th, 17th & 18th at 20:15 but tickets are limited. Please note - the venue was Understairs @ Euroscot and has now been renamed as Seven Dwarves at Euroscot.

Suggestions please...

After today's three shows we have one last trip planned on Saturday 25th. We've booked up for The Walworth Farce at 11:00 and Tiny Dynamite at 21:30 (Review now posted) so we have a good bit of time to fill in between. Suggestions/comments welcome.