Shows And Shows
My first couple of days have been a bit of a blur in some ways (see previous post for the inadequacies of the old streets here and production stories) but to not sample the range of things going on - assuming the Festival has a quasi-religious status - is a little bit of a sin. Here’s a round-up of the comedians and shows I’ve seen so far:
Steve Williams -
Underbelly
This hotly-tipped Welsh comic is apparently one to watch, if you believe the promoters. He has secured a spot on the coveted “Beyond the Fringe” one-off show towards the end of the month, which has launched many well-known names in the past. His performance, however, left me wishing that I knew the guy as a friend rather than having seen him on stage. A moderately-responsive audience rightly laughed along heartily with his set-pieces, and it was evident that he could write good material, but whenever he went off-topic, he struggled to engage. The exception to this was when, unprompted, and with a sense of comic timing to rival the Fringe’s best, a cymbal was dislodged from its backstage mooring and swung onstage, much to everyone’s surprise. Here, Williams showed his adaptability, and improvised perhaps the most rewarding few minute of his show. Overall, his genial demeanour forces you to forgive his lapses and wish him well, but his jokes need slicker transitions to push him into the front rank of comedians here.
Exits and Entrances
by Athol Fugard -
Assembly Rooms
Perhaps New York isn’t used to South African immigrants as much as we are in Britain. Perhaps that’s why this play did so well there - winning many major awards - because they may not have cringed so much when they heard such awfully-delivered accents. The play is otherwise very good, but it’s hard to see past such an obvious flaw. How hard could it have been to have found competent authentic South african actors? Still, Fugard’s writing sparkles as ever, and with the subject matter being so personal - his own real-life relationship with André Huguenet, a renowned but fading actor - the piece is incredibly touching at points, and truly heartfelt. Questions about the nature and purpose of theatre are raised, intelligently explored, and left me in a reflective mood. One or two scenes do feel slightly rushed and even, sadly, cliched between the old guard thesp and the bright-eyed young idealist (Fugard himself), but this is still well worth seeing.
Russell Kane -
Pleasance Courtyard
Another comedian hoping for a breakout year, Kane bounces around the small Pleasance Portakabin stage like a schizophrenic emo-inspired Duracell bunny from Essex, and clearly loves the attention. The rough idea behind his show is to examine stereotypes we all use and fall victim to, but as a concept, it is particularly weakly expounded. This is not, however, because it isn’t funny, but because he can’t stop himself talking. Ever. The few sketches thrown in tend to distract rather than enlighten us as to how jaded categorization is ubiquitous, and I certainly would have preferred for him to have even less cohesion. Kane has a wonderfully inventive and lively persona, and he’s a real joy to watch when he’s let loose. By imposing a theme, he has hampered himself, though only slightly.
Wit -
Underbelly
For a perfectly-written play, you need look no further. Wit, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by American playwright Margaret Edson, had somehow bypassed my theatrical knowledge, a strange fact considering just how damn good it is. Essentially a one-woman show with a host of walk-on extras, it tells of a poetry professor’s fight against cancer, which is slowly killing her. Tender, funny, and of course, full of wit, the scholar turns her academic skills to a problem far beyond her power, and is forced to confront death. Language and meaning come alive, and the holy sonnets of John Donne - at school and university always somewhat of a bore to me - take on special significance. Life-affirming, thoughtful, and poignant, it is very well acted by Kat Brown, who is captivating throughout.
Reginald D Hunter -
E4 Udderbelly
Vital, vital, stand-up. Not as edgy as his previous shows, but far more textured and insightful, he is a gifted story-teller and actor, and brings a lot of personality to the stage. He finishes with a long story, describing a short film in deadly seriousness, which is one of the most intriguing pieces I’ve ever seen, especially at a comedy gig. This show is selling out every night, and deservedly so. He’s perfectly willing to take on taboos, but unlike many comedians, doesn’t do so purely to be controversial. On our way from the venue, chatting about what we’d just seen at length, and describing his style as “very American” amongst other things, my friend nudged me in the side and pointed about two foot in front of me. The shoes were unmistakeable - the man himself had been right there, hearing everything we’d been saying. Fortunately, and correctly, it was all positive.
Spawn and Die! -
Baby Belly
This was a very strange piece, almost in lecture format, all about sex, and how we’re not having enough. A self-described ’slut’, writer and performer Susan McIntosh encourages all her ’sexy little hobbits’, or audience, to become less like the agressive, territorial chimapzees we descended from, and more accustomed to life as benobos, happy and slow apes who apparently solve most of their problems with sex, and lots of it. A continuous slide show of images, some graphic, some funny, most unneccessary, put forward her case, though in the sparse, British audience, there was a definite feeling of uncomfortable bemusement. I came out of the dark little cave it was set in laughing at the experience I’d just had, but not really at the show at all. If you’re into free love in a serious way, or just like odd things, or are over-sexed, then this may appeal, but is probably best avoided.
