Flu On The Fringe
I haven’t been able to update for the last few days for a couple of reasons – the difficulty of finding reliable wireless hotspots in town, and a tenacious virus that has kept me in bed for most of the time when I’d be able to search for them. You really miss out on so much when you’re laid up ill here, due to the copious amount of shows, and the limited time in which to see them. The repeated late nights haven’t helped, and the fact that many pubs open for business at 6 AM, just after the clubs close, means that it’s easy to turn a quick nightcap into the next day’s drinking session. If only the prices were cheaper…
I am now re-approaching my pre-Festival levels of energy and enthusiasm as this bug shifts, so am back in the swing of things. I’m off to see Russell Howard tonight, and Escaping Hamlet and Fuerzabruta tomorrow, so I’ve got a great couple of days to look forward to. Here’s a round-up of the more interesting shows I’ve seen recently.
Breaker Morant –
E4 Udderbelly
This venture by the Comedians’ Theatre Company (alongside their other offering, Killer Joe, also quite good) makes good use of the host of Antipodean comics ever-present at the Fringe, casting them in the roles of bush-raised Australian troops in the Boer War. Here, fighting for King and Country with pomp and honour was very much secondary to survival, as these irregulars fought behind enemy lines to counter the Afrikaaners’ commando tactics, so successful out on the veldt. Only in a few small moments do the actors show their lack of experience in straight drama, but unsurprisingly, the humour is expertly drawn out of the material. Breaker, the title character, is accused of killing Boer prisoners, and despite the lack of concrete evidence against him and his fellow defendants, is convicted in a politically-charged court martial. This is a full-length play of some depth and a lot of atmosphere.
Macbeth: Who is That Bloodied Man? –
Old College Quad
Full-on experimental theatre meets one of Shakespeare’s most loved plays in this aesthetic onslaught. Teatro Biuro Podrozy ride WWII-style motorbikes, roll cages full of skulls, throw large logs around, and set fire to almost anything that can burn, interspersed with just enough of the original dialogue to keep you engaged in the narrative. There is plenty of their trademark stilt-walking, and an all-encompassing operatic and dissonant soundtrack creates a hugely oppressive mood in the open-air gravel quad. The story is changed slightly with the omission of Macduff (always one of my least-favourite characters), but anyone afraid of being confused needs not to worry. Superbly directed, and wonderfully intense, arrive early to get the best viewpoint.
To the End of the World –
C SoCo
This is without doubt one of the best student plays I’ve ever seen. Devised loosely from Alessandro Baricco’s novel Silk, it uses techniques seen in productions by companies such as Kneehigh, which, though often whimsical, are always effective. Costume and lighting are both done with inventiveness, and the music is pitch perfect, culminating with an epic Sigur Ros piece to draw the story to its conclusion. The young actors are full of life, and charmingly happy to be there. The best thing about it, however, is the fantastical love story set across continents, and taking place between the fall of the blossoms and the geese flying south. It borrows from many other stories, but in a lovingly storytelling manner, and then tightens the emotional screws torturously. After the performance I witnessed, there were several audience members in tears, testament to how moving it is. See this if at all possible, it’s selling out every day, and the company contains a huge amount of potential.
