"The Caravan" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

In probably the most surreal venue we visited this year, "The Caravan" by Look Left Look Right shows what can be done simply, with good acting, writing and direction. In a well-crafted piece of verbatim theatre we're introduced to the dubious delights of caravan living as a result of the floods that hit large parts of England last year.

Normally only 8 people in an audience at the Fringe would be viewed as a poor result, but "The Caravan" turned this into an asset. Molly Taylor, Davies Palmer, Brett Sadie and Rachel Dale produce some impressive acting as they switch between multiple people who were affected to different extents and in different ways by the floods of Summer 2007. You're taken into confidences, amused and touched by the tales of real people. Considering the large number of daily performances undertaken and the short turnaround between them, the show still seemed fresh even on the last Saturday.

A thoroughly thought provoking and captivating production which will certainly make us keep an eye out for future productions by the company.

Oh, and there were biscuits.

The Caravan has now finished its run at the Pleasance Courtyard, but hopes to tour later in the year.

"On the Waterfront" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

"On the Waterfront" is one of those rare shows where it's entirely possible to forget that this is 'The Fringe' - or at least it would be if it wasn't for the dreadfully cramped legroom in Pleasance Grand. This is every bit a 'Grand' production in terms of scale and polish, however it does leave itself open to the charge of 'style over substance'. But when a show is as stylish as this I'll quite happily forego a little substance.

While the performances are all solid enough, the scale of the venue makes it an entirely different proposition from most Fringe productions and deprives the cast of the opportunity to really make an impact (at least it did in the seats three quarters of the way back) From there, only Vincenzo Nicoli as Father Barry delivered a performance that fully conveyed the depth of the dilemma facing his character.

However, as anyone who has seen the publicity for this show will know, it isn't really about the cast - it's all about Steven Berkoff's direction. And so it proves, with a direction that gives a clear identity to the show with it's mix of light and shadow, some wonderfully choreographed scenes of violence, and a wonderful moment in a pigeon loft.

Given the right venue(s) (not too big, not too small) this show will have a very good run in London and on tour.

On The Waterfront has completed its run at the Pleasance Grand
Image used with permission

"365" - Edinburgh International Festival 2008

Since its creation we've managed to see over a dozen National Theatre of Scotland badged shows and up until now only "Peer Gynt" has been a complete disappointment (yes we know it won loads of awards but it just didn't work for us) so I guess we were overdue for another one. And "365" definitely fits the bill.

365 features around half a dozen individual threads - some interwoven and others entirely isolated. This immediately creates a feeling of incoherence and puzzlement as the audience reaches for links between characters that simply aren't there. Despite David Harrower's writing credit, this really feels like a devised piece where pairs/groups have created their own segments with little attention given to the whole.

Given the excellent use of choreography and physical theatre seen in previous NTS shows I initially assumed that in "365" it was intentionally graceless and cumbersome but as the show progressed I'm no longer sure it deserves that generous approach. And despite trumpeting that it would feature a new song from Paul Buchanan of Blue Nile fame, it too failed to register even a minor impression. As for the set - least said the better.

Two of the central tales are given far too much prominence in comparison to others and fail to justify the attention. J's relationship with her mother lacked tension, and the damaging dynamic between F, K & B seemed merely designed to shock some of the older patrons of the International Festival.

But some elements of the show did work. The scenes between Ryan Fletcher and Scott Fletcher as brothers P and N arguing on other sides of a door were brilliantly staged and performed - a clear highlight of the night. C's story, one of the few to actually focus on the 'practice flat' idea the show was billed as, is also one of the most successful. Okay, so we'd seen it before in "Elling", but Ben Presley played the character with sufficient depth that I think he was the only one that generated any empathy. The scenes he shared with Rebecca Smith's L were particularly effective.

I'd read in previews that the show was very much an ongoing creative process and while that's probably responsible for many of its failings and lack of vision it might also save the show. They now have a couple of weeks to sort it out before a run in London. If they don't, I suspect it could be in for a real critical mauling.

And I'd strongly suggest that anyone involved with the show beg the guys from "Caravan" to put on an extra few shows to see just how effectively voices can be given to people and issues in need of them.

365 runs at the Edinburgh Playhouse until 25th August and then a the Lyric Hammersmith from 8th to 27th September
Image by Mark Hamilton, used with permission

"I Love You, Bro" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

I think this is probably the most uncomfortable I've felt in a show this year - quite an achievement considering that I've seen "The Factory". Not to mention the hours spent in sauna-like airless rooms. But there was an altogether different reason for my uncomfortable shifting in my seat during "I Love You, Bro".

Given that this is based on a true story I wasn't sure how to respond to Ash Flanders' portrayal of Johnny, who through elaborate online identities persuades the object of his affection to stab him. He's clearly a charismatic character to have pulled it all off so convincingly (although one does wonder about just how gullible people can be) but should I really be laughing with him?

Depending on your viewpoint he's either a downright nasty piece of work or a vulnerable boy with mental health issues. Either way, I'm sure my sympathy should really lie with Mark who is caught up in Johhny's (world wide) web of deceit. And while we do get to hear Mark's 'voice' it's always through Johnny. I think I would have engaged a lot more with the show had Mark been present in the form of another actor - or the story told entirely from his viewpoint.

Adam J A Cass has written a piece whose narrator and use of language is somewhat reminiscent of "A Clockwork Orange" but while Burgess creates Alex a punishment that renders him a victim, here Johnny's fate is insufficient to generate much empathy for the character. But that shouldn't detract from an impressive performance from Flanders as he chronicles the events. He carries the audience with him through sheer force of will and against their better judgement - at least in my case.

At the end of the day "I Love You, Bro" is more a curiosity piece than anything else, as despite being rooted in truth, it's just too bizarre to be thought-provoking in any meaningful way.

I Love You, Bro runs at the Pleasancedome at 2.25pm until 25th August
Image used with permission

"Zanna, Don't!" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

After a couple of shows that were both pretty intense I was really in the mood for a snappily written cheesefest of a musical, but unfortunately "Zanna, Don't!" with the students from the RSAMD just wasn't it. It's a one-joke show, and I laughed once (the SF gag for the record). The show's concept of a world where heterosexuals are a persecuted minority has potential but there are only so many times a high school cliché can be reversed and remain funny.

But this is a musical after all, so there's always the songs and dancing to look forward to. Ah yes, the songs - pretty instantly forgettable I'm afraid, until 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' where the vocals of Anna Clayton as Kate and Craig Carter as Steve finally show some quality. Up until that point the ensemble numbers had been lacking in clarity and many of the individual songs were unexceptional at best. But the dancing, yes, I'll give you the dancing as the show was excellently choreographed and the performers all executed it well. Bobby Callahan as Zanna, Kirsty Malone as Candi and Craig Deuchar as Tank along with Clayton also get the chance to show that they have the acting ability to make an impact - given the right material.

The RSAMD have three other shows at the Fringe with the cast all featuring in at least one other, and I do wonder if there is a price that has been paid for that. Stunning performances could have lifted what is a pretty mundane musical, but without them the whole is a real disappointment.

Zanna, Don't! has two performances remaining at Musical Theatre @ George Square at 4pm on the 22nd and 25th August

"Involution" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

Several hours and two shows later, "Involution" is still buzzing round my head. Rachel Welch has written something wonderful - I'm just not sure it's wonderful theatre.

After a worrying first ten minutes where the dialogue seems forced and the acting unnatural the play quickly hits its stride as the cast find their characters. Ben Murray-Watson as Cohen and Sara Pascoe as Talulah are particularly impressive.

But there's just so much here - religion, science, ethics, artificial intelligence, trust, betrayal that it would be a struggle to fit it all in to a 3 hour play. Attempting to shoehorn it into 75 minutes doesn't do it justice and deprives some of the relationships of room to breathe. "Involution" deserves to be a six part BBC Drama but I suspect the natural home of this story and these characters is a 600 page epic novel.

As theatre, it's certainly worth seeing for what it could become, but make sure you leave yourself a bit of a gap afterwards to let your head clear a bit.

Involution runs at the Pleasancedome at 12 noon until 25th August
Image used with permission

"The Bird & The Bee: The Bee" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

Much as "The Bird" and "The Bee" are interlinked shows I'm afraid our thoughts on each show very much have a bearing on the other. Each show is the story of a character's path to a point where they meet the central character from the other show. It's said they can be seen as standalone shows and that is certainly the case with "The Bee". Indeed that's probably what we would recommend you do.

Presumably designed to shock and intrigue, the publicity materials (and even the Fringe Programme blurb) give away the conclusion of the characters' journeys. This does create a certain atmosphere to the piece when the audience knows where things are headed, but I think it strips the play of a potentially powerful moment of revelation.

Matt Hartley's script is filled with moments of pain but also include some well observed touches of humour. The performances of Tom Ferguson, Sarah Sweeney and James Yeatman in various roles provide a substantial foundation for Rebecca Whitehead who is outstanding as Chloe. She successfully combines the simultaneous youth and maturity of the character in a way that makes the whole believable. There is a real depth and intensity to her performance.

Having seen this show I was happy that it was self-contained if I needed it to be, but having enjoyed it I was looking forward to seeing the other side of the story. We'll say more about "The Bird" separately but I want to mention here about the impact seeing it had on my views of "The Bee". It left me feeling a bit cheated to be honest and wishing that they had simply taken a 10 minute section from it and included it with "The Bee" to create a complete work.

So, here's my advice if you are considering seeing these shows:
- If you've seen "The Bee" and are thinking about seeing "The Bird" read what we thought first (but do get someone who has seen it to tell you the interesting bit)
- if you've not seen either yet, do go and see "The Bee"
- if you've seen "The Bird" then definitely go and see "The Bee"

The Bee runs at Underbelly until the 24th August at 2.40pm

"The Bird & The Bee: The Bird" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

Although listed as the "The Bird & The Bee", "The Bee" is shown earlier in the day. So most people who will see both will usually see "The Bird" already knowing the events in Chloe's tale ("The Bee"). In hindsight that's probably for "The Best". Although well performed by the same cast as its counterpart (playing different roles), the slightly surreal story of Jacob just didn't work as well.

Although it had its engaging elements "The Bee" didn't feel like a fully fleshed out story and left me feeling like it was a DVD extra to "The Bird". Perhaps Jacob's story was just a little too bizarre to allow you to empathise with someone who you knew Chloe had connected with. And you couldn't understand how that connection had happened

"The Bee" works as a standalone piece (reviewed here) - and should probably be treated as such.

The Bird & The Bee: The Bird runs at Underbelly at 5:40pm until 24 August

"Deep Cut" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

As the winner of both a Fringe First and a Herald Angel at this year's Fringe, I was lucky to grab one of the few remaining tickets for "Deep Cut" at the Traverse. The run has now completely sold out, and deservedly so. Sherman Cymru and Philip Ralph have put together an impressive tale told from the viewpoint of Private Cheryl James' parents.
As a visitor to the James' house the audience are pulled into the tale as Des James (Ciaran McIntyre) talks about his daughter, her death and their quest for answers as to how or why she died.

The play highlights some of the inconsistencies and failings of the investigation into Cheryl's death, and the other 3 soldiers (Privates Sean Benton, Geoff Gray and James Collinson). Although no conclusion as to the cause of the deaths is come to - you are left questioning the events and witnessing the frustration of Des and his wife, Doreen (Rhian Morgan) at the lack of answers. The James' don't know if she committed suicide (the inquest verdict was open), but they are prepared to accept that it is a possibility. What they are continuing to fight and campaign for is a proper public inquiry that can look at all the evidence into their daughter's death. If it was suicide were there systemic failings at the barracks, if it wasn't then who was responsible?

The James' story is intercut with additional information about Deep Cut brought to us by Jonesy (Rhian Blythe) one of Cheryl's contempories and the other figures that have featured into the investigation into the deaths by the media, the police, the military and the Blake enquiry (Simon Molloy, Robert Bowman, Frank Blythe).

A well written and performed piece that makes you feel slightly guilty for enjoying a drama based on real tragic events.

The script book is well worth picking up - it's more like an academic text than a script; giving you sources and information beyond what you see on stage.

Photo used with permission.

Deep Cut continues at The Traverse until 24 August - the run has sold out.

"How it Ended" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

"How it Ended" caused much confusion when it was originally suggested to us in the Comments on our Fringe Preview. We quite liked the sound of it but didn't remember seeing it in the Programme. Then we realised it was in the Dance & Physical Theatre section - and we never read that. And having now seen the show I can officially declare that it was clearly placed in the wrong section. You see, I actually quite liked it and that couldn't possibly have happened if it really was Dance & Physical Theatre.

You Need Me's tale of a young Welsh woman who meets a French trainee pilot during the Second World War isn't exactly a fun piece of theatre. But there is plenty of joy to be found from it. The writer and cast make the relationships between the characters utterly believable and it makes for compelling viewing.

The Dance elements are fairly limited and I'm sure there are many shows using this much more extensively who have slipped their way into the Theatre section. There are some fine moments - the way the baby takes form is magical to watch - but there are also problems with the show. In a tight space with limited raking, the decision to stage a number of scenes with characters sitting or lying on the floor is an appalling error - to the extent that I'd estimate about 60% of the audience were unable to see considerable sections of the piece. So if you're going to catch this make sure you sit in the front row.

But even with a restricted view it was clear I was watching a production of genuine quality and I guess we'll have an extra 12 or so pages of the Fringe Programme to wade through next year.

And thanks to Roger for bringing the show to our attention

How it Ended runs at C Cubed at 9.15pm until 25th August

"My Grandfather's Great War" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

The admiration and respect Cameron Stewart has for his Grandfather is clear from the outset, and by the time the hour is up the audience will feel much the same. But this isn't about heroes - although Captain Alexander Stuart certainly was one. It's about what we put ordinary men through.

War is presented here with all its horrors and we are reminded how quickly we forget the lessons of 'The War to End All Wars'. Captain Stewart was clearly a thinking soldier and while that may be what the modern army looks for, it was no doubt a dangerous thing in his time. As a result, for the most part he kept his thoughts to himself and committed them to scraps of diaries which he sent home to be reassembled after the war, and it's these diaries that have provided the material for the show.

Cameron switches between delivering his grandfather's words and providing family and historical background to them. It's a useful storytelling technique and augmented by some startling sound effects and the damp stone walls in Baby Belly 1 he really creates a powerful atmosphere. While there are moments when his 'Johnny Ball' style jumping around start to distract from the focus of what he's saying, it has little impact on the overall effectiveness of the show.

As with "The Factory", it's impossible to really convey the impact of such trauma in a one hour show - and that's probably just as well.

For those who want to know more about Captain Stewart's experiences, copies of the book were available at the end of the show.

My Grandfather's Great War runs at Underbelly's Baby Belly at 2.45pm until 24th August
Image used with permission

"The Sword of Maximum Damage" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

Okay, you want to have a show at the Fringe based on the world of competitive role playing games? Roll a D10 dice to choose a type of show. A six - Theatre it is. Never mind, at least it wasn't Dance. Roll again to fix a venue. Five - Underbelly: lots of passing trade but also lots of competition, but you've got a space near the exit so no need to worry about the whole 'fire hazard' thing. Cast next - a D20 for this one. Fifteen! Strong, your cast is. And lastly the script. A ten - a brave attempt that doesn't quite live up to its potential. Right, that's enough of that...

It's an entertaining piece but it somehow never quite reaches the level of comedy that the situation and characters should provide. I suspect there may have been a dilemma regarding how much to make the humour at the expense of the characters without it alienating their potential audience. And yes, the audience did appear to be very much letting their inner geeks out for the night - I can't imagine many other shows where a major discussion takes place in the queue about the potential drawbacks should we ever perfect cold fusion.

Anyway, back to the show. The cast's enthusiasm is obvious and the characters are well defined and all have a bit of substance to them. Normally that's a bonus but to some extent it's a problem here as the character building comes at the expense of the laughs. Despite the frequent smiles it generates there just aren't enough laugh out loud moments to lift it above the ordinary.

But there is more than enough here to make it worth seeing if you have a gap to fill, and don't be put off if your knowledge of role playing games is non-existent - you'll get the general idea without too much difficulty. And for those who have dabbled with such things (even I was eight years old once) it will bring the memories flooding back.

Sword of Maximum Damage runs at Underbelly at 8.40pm until 24th August
Image used with permission

"Stolen Secrets" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

Following the success of last year's "Mehndi Night" Mulberry School for Girls in London have again worked with playwright Fin Kennedy to bring a production to the Fringe. While it's undoubtedly an entertaining piece of theatre it lacks that feeling of discovering a window into a different world that "Mehndi Night" brought me. And I did miss that aspect a little.

But what we do have is a script and a number of performances so filled with energy and vitality that it's contagious. Made up of four "urban fairytales" inspired by locations and characters around the school, each has its merits but my own favourite was "Make & Mend" which featured three very strong performances. Waldorf particularly enjoyed "Mrs Jones".

Unfortunately some lines of dialogue were difficult to pick out due to a lack of volume and it's disappointing that some of the cast still appeared to suffer a shortage of confidence at the end of the show's run. Especially considering the quality of their 'product' and the audience reception (if Saturday was anything to go by).

The set design was both clever and effective but I do wonder if it was responsible for the loss of a 'missing tale' due to time restrictions, and having read it in the Programme/Script it's a real shame as I'd love to have seen what they had planned for performing it.

But none of the flaws take away from the fact that it's a little gem of a show that you can't help but be charmed by. We'll certainly be making space in our schedule to see what they have planned for us next year.

Stolen Secrets' run at Venue 45 is now completed
Image used with permission

The Bird & The Bee -Edinburgh Fringe (interim post)

With a busy Sunday planned (mostly non-Fringe) we won't get the chance to post our thoughts on Saturday's four shows until Monday.
But we want to do a quick post about the interlinked shows 'Bird' & 'Bee' to say: See 'Bee' as a standalone piece and give 'Bird' a miss.

"The Factory" - Edinburgh Fringe 2008

After our abortive attempt to see "The Factory" by Badac Theatre Company at Pleasance Courtyard on the opening Sunday we made a a special trip through to catch this mid-week. We seem to be having a very war-related based August (Oh! What A Lovely War, Fall, My Grandfather's Great War, How It Ended, Restitution) but this was potentially the most draining experience of them all. How can you do a dramatic piece about the holocaust sensitively?

Even in the queue the scene starts to be set as we're asked to deposit any bags into a trunk. I'm not sure if the stripping of possessions is an intentional mirroring of what happened to those on the way to the death camps, or just due to the space restrictions in the venue, but the former was very much in my mind as we deposited our belongings.

I don't know how successful "The Factory" is in portraying the true experience of those who entered the machinery of the Final Solution; that would be impossible to achieve. However the company does its best to show you the terror and emotional journey of the three nameless Jews being sent to their death and of those involved in achieving this end. Ultimately we all knew we were walking out of there, so there was a natural limit to what they could achieve. We're told at various points that we're witnesses to what happened and not to forget. It's a reminder of horrific events that happened, and that they could happen again.

What you do get is a very personal experience, that will have a different impact on different people. For me, I felt powerless and had to physically stop myself from interrupting the performance on at least 3 occasions. Standing idly by was not easy to do - I would have been interested to see what they would have done if someone had intervened. During the final scene I noted several others who, like me, were avoiding making eye contact with others so that their emotions didn't make themselves too manifest.

Brave and physically demanding performances from the 5 person ensemble leave you slightly disappointed you don't get to show your appreciation for them at the end.

The Factory runs as Pleasance Courtyard until 24 August (times vary)