Theatre, Issue 584

Ae Fond Kiss

Greer Ogston

23 Aug 2007

Not to be confused with the 2004 film of the same name, Anne-Marie di Mambro’s play focuses on an awkward teen, Zed, who arrives for his birthday present – an hour with Lola. But Lola is not quite what he expected, in more ways than one. This tender…

Babble

23 Aug 2007

A monologue based on the Jorge Luis Borges short story ‘The Library of Babel’, Babble focuses on a secluded librarian’s (Jonathan Clarkson) quest for the answers to all life’s puzzles in his stacks of books. Though the fundamental ideas behind the play…

Basic Training

5 Questions

23 Aug 2007

5 words to describe Basic Training? Inspiring, uncomfortable, character, interactive, true. 4 things you love about Edinburgh in August? That’s easy! Mariachi’s restaurant, Elephants & Bagels, the buzz and the spectacle. 3 things you…

Best Western

Rich Hall's motel life

23 Aug 2007

Although listed under comedy and written/directed by Fringe favourite, comedian Rich Hall, Best Western is far from a light-hearted romp. It looks at two interlinking families in a middle America Motel, where the owners are being forced to sell and the…

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

23 Aug 2007

This engaging mix of movement, song and animation presents a variety of vivid situations. The central characters are two eerie sisters not unlike the little girls from The Shining, who lead us through a series of grim gothic adventures in an inter-war…

Bomber’s Row

23 Aug 2007

In a maximum security prison in Colorado, three of the most dangerous terrorist bombers alive mix with a Cuban drug lord. From their cages in an exercise yard they converse, then a female barber with a secret cuts their hair. Based on true events and…

Breaker Morant

23 Aug 2007

Kenneth Ross’ great Australian tale of official injustice still feels powerful in the telling. In it, three Australian officers are put on trial for the murder of prisoners in the dog days of the second Boer War. Great courage is shown in the face of…

Can of Worms

23 Aug 2007

When a government minister is pictured committing an act he’d rather keep under wraps, can he keep the evidence hidden? And will his aide keep quiet? Dealing with torture, scandal and government cover-ups, all through the unlikely medium of slapstick…

Canadian Bartender at Butlins

23 Aug 2007

If the basic purpose of theatre is to tell a story (and an entertaining one at that), then TJ Dawe has it covered. Recounting the experiences of a summer working at a holiday camp, this monologue has the feel of a fireside ghost story, interspersed with…

Certified Male

23 Aug 2007

The mini-career resurrection of Les Dennis continues in this comic caper, which asks just what it means to be a modern man, as a terminally ill company executive, with a new perspective on life, takes three of his employees on a think-tank holiday.

Closing Time

23 Aug 2007

The present conflict in Iraq may dominate both news and Fringe agendas but, lest we forget, away from the cameras and newspaper columns, hundreds of conflicts continue to rage on all four corners of the globe. Alongside death, it is human dispersion…

Corpus Christi

23 Aug 2007

Terrence McNally’s controversial retelling of the New Testament places Jesus in 50s Texas and involves the son of God in a sexual relationship with Judas, whose consequent jealously results in the betrayal. Despite slick direction and clever ensemble…

Debbie Does Dallas - The Musical

23 Aug 2007

There’s a very fine line between a send-up of a ropey cultural item and something that’s just plain ropey. Almost from its shrill opening bars it becomes crystal clear that Debbie Does Dallas – The Musical has crossed the line. The fundamental…

Dogfight

23 Aug 2007

Serial streaker, Mark Roberts, narrowly avoided an Asbo for his ‘performance’ at the Ryder cup. Thankfully, a judge with a sense of humour and an ounce of brain power dismissed the case but it’s this legislating against the insignificant things while…

Escaping Hamlet

23 Aug 2007

Is life predetermined, or do we have an input into our own destiny? This is the primary question asked by this fantastical reworking of Hamlet. Keeping the basic plot of the prince who discovers that his uncle killed his father and seeks revenge, this…

Fatboy

David Laing

23 Aug 2007

With our current culture of consumerism and our seemingly endless desire to rid the planet of its natural resources, there is unlikely to be a more fitting or biting satire at this year’s Fringe than John Clancy’s Fatboy. An updated version of Alfred…

Funeral Games

23 Aug 2007

Not to be confused with the Joe Orton play, this friendly little physical theatre piece focuses on a young undertaker forced to look after his demanding father. His brother, a wee bovver boy comes on a visit, and various fakings of death, and real…

Game Theory

23 Aug 2007

At the end of a war with some resemblance to the Yugoslavian conflict, a succession of scenarios unfolds. Three government officials negotiate fruitlessly over responsibility and territory, a woman returns to her abandoned, vandalised home with her two…

Game?

23 Aug 2007

If you’ve ever been to a dinner party and wanted to scream in frustration then this creative company, Tangled Feet, have the play for you. What begins as a get together to welcome the neighbours soon morphs into a sharp, surreal insight into the…

Get Your War On

23 Aug 2007

“I’m not very analytical. You know I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about why I do things”, honest words from President Bush, as he spells out his failings to the electorate and yet they still voted him in for a second term. Join the Rude…

Hitlist - the best Festival theatre

23 Aug 2007

Damascus David Greig’s new play about a man on a first time business visit to the eponymous city is full of humour, tragedy and political insight. Traverse, 228 1404, until 26 Aug, times vary, £16 (£5–£11). Venus as a Boy Tam Dean Burn is towering…

Mantra

23 Aug 2007

Does everything happen for a reason or are some things just tragic, inexplicable accidents? This age-old conundrum is explored by Katy Wix in Mantra, which examines the long-term effects of one such tragic accident on her relationship, and almost drives…

Mouse

23 Aug 2007

Proctor finds hiding behind his computer screen and solving problems from afar the best way to get through life, so how will he respond when he is forced to step up to the mark? A man in a black suit on a bare stage will struggle to hold an audience’s…

On Wonderland

23 Aug 2007

'If I’m not the same, the next question is: “Who in the world am I?”’. So said Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole and wound up in Wonderland, in the novel from which this play’s central character Moia’s (Kerry-Jayne Wilson) condition, micropsia…

Òran Mór presents theatrical greatest hits

23 Aug 2007

It has proved to be one of Oran Mór’s most popular exports, paving the way for many variations on a theme. In early September, the hip Glasgow venue will celebrate the success of its Play, A Pie and A Pint with a special ‘best of’ week. Ae Fond Kiss…

Orpheus X

23 Aug 2007

The gods are surely smiling on Edinburgh this month, as the American Repertory Theatre rocks up to the Edinburgh International Festival with a modern version of the Orpheus myth. The brainchild of master performer and maverick musician Rinde Eckert…

Phaedre

23 Aug 2007

Stuffy studio venue after stuffy studio venue can drive the average Festival–goer mad, so why not escape the city for the rugged ramparts of the medieval Craigmillar Castle, where Racine’s classic Phaedre comes to life through skulls, sword fights and…

Planting the Dunk Botanic Gardens

23 Aug 2007

David Malikoff’s monologue amounts to a brief exposition of the history of Dunk Island near the great Barrier reef, followed by the story, told in the form of a prose poem by Mark O’Connor, of O’Connor’s struggle to create a garden in the jungle…

Scarborough

23 Aug 2007

An ever controversial issue, teacher/pupil relationships are by no means a novel subject matter, but you will rarely have experienced a performance quite so up close and personal as Scarborough. The audience line the walls of a very intimate seedy hotel…

Sheepskin

23 Aug 2007

As sheep farmer Jeremy struggles to protect his flock from a foot and mouth outbreak, God comes to him in a Moses-like moment and promises to protect the sheep if he is obeyed. It’s a relatively dry subject that transformed here into a journey into the…

Skolka

23 Aug 2007

Three mail order bride applicants sell themselves to the audience, and before you know it you’ve followed their life history and found out exactly how they ended up smiling at a camera in desperation. This physically enthralling piece draws you into the…

Subway

23 Aug 2007

Perhaps understandably, the number of people who feel pessimistic rather than optimistic about Britain’s future has grown exponentially over the last few years, according to a flurry of recent surveys. This smart and stylish production from Vanishing…

Superpatriots and Morons and Pregnant With Emotion

23 Aug 2007

This bill features two plays performed in rep, highlighting the current political situation in Zimbabwe. The first depicts Mugabe and his response to those who oppose him and the second a woman whose baby refuses to be born under the current…

Talking Heads

23 Aug 2007

Alan Bennett’s monologues, legendary for their television appearances in the 80s, also make for compelling viewing as theatre. Presented by Glasgay! and the Tron, there are five monologues in this series, which rotates as a double bill throughout the…

Tell

23 Aug 2007

This stylish piece depicts the abject loneliness of two peoples’ lives as they try to recapture former happiness in their own unique ways. Alfred recounts memories of his honeymoon in Paris while Vivien dreams of a garden of her own. The couple draws…

The Bitches' Ball

23 Aug 2007

The reputation of 18th century poet, novelist and original ‘It Girl’, Mary Robinson, has been eclipsed by the streams of celebrity femme fatales who came in her wake. Penny Dreadful’s well-choreographed production seeks to redress this injustice…

The Florists

23 Aug 2007

Take one florist with no flowers, a sad sack, his terminally ill sister and his mail-order bride, mix them all up in a fairly implausible, badly written script and you’ve got the premise of this bizarre and pointless comedy. If the play left out the…

The Importance of Shoes

23 Aug 2007

A story of obsession, infidelity and wondrous shoes, this piece uncovers the bad situations people can get into. With sharp, snappy dialogue exchanges the play stylishly skips along, light-heartedly exploring our faults and vices. Shoes become the…

The Last

23 Aug 2007

The last party, the last drink, the last time for, well everything. The end of the world is ‘fucking nigh’. The world is literally counting down to the end as a group of friends spend their last hysterical hours together. Filled with drugs, drink and…

The Man Across the Way

23 Aug 2007

Police are being given more money to conduct surveillance on suspected terrorists and the public are being asked to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. It is understandable in the context of the war on terror but you have to wonder…

The Psychic Detective (And Those Disappeared)

23 Aug 2007

With the Scottish Arts council adopting ‘cultural entitlement’ as their current buzzword, local company, Benchtours’ solution to fulfilling funding criteria takes the form of a customised 40ft articulated truck, which, following its stint at the Fringe…

The Swingers

23 Aug 2007

This inventive mix of film and live performance is a comical romp about one couple’s foray into the seductive world of swinging. Film sequences are used to hilarious effect with perfect timing and some brilliant character acting. The German porno is a…

This Piece of Earth

23 Aug 2007

Such is the scale of the mighty historical narratives of any country, that eventually, be it the holocaust, the war in Iraq or the Armenian genocide, it’s difficult to convey the enormity of the tragedy in pure numbers. So just as we’ve seen the events…

Tony Blair – the Musical

23 Aug 2007

This slick production provides plenty of laughs and generous helpings of satire as it chronicles the achievements of the Blair premiership. A well-voiced and good-looking cast accompany the plethora of lyrically and musically impressive songs, providing…

Touch by Bill Dare

23 Aug 2007

Touch is a charmingly sweet play, though not sickeningly so. It’s about a meeting between two lonely souls in unusual circumstances. Their quirks and foibles somehow fit together in a case of opposites attract. The two characters, Emma (Lucinda…

Unnatural Acts

23 Aug 2007

Think of a cross between Gimme Gimme Gimme and a recent Coronation Street storyline and you’ve got the basic gist of this play. Marsha, a lonely thirtysomething, and Elliot, her gay flatmate, both want to bring meaning to their career and…

What’s Your Poison?

23 Aug 2007

An addiction to crystal meth devours the personalities of the young couple in William Chadwick’s play What’s Your Poison? The piece explores the couple’s reliance on someone, or something else, to get through life. While the abuse of drugs is no new…

Wish I Had a Sylvia Plath

23 Aug 2007

Edward Anthony’s play takes us back into a mock suburbia of the 50s to explore the last hours and recollections of the poet of the title, here renamed Esther. Ted Hughes, in turn, becomes Ned Pughes and, as in all Plathian accounts of his life with her…