Reviews 2001 – Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

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Look below for Carita’s reviews in short of festival performances and other goings-on.

The Musical
Baby Wants Candy, C-Venues – Run ended

Imagine improvising a musical once. Now imagine improvising a musical every night for three weeks according to audience suggestions. The merciless audience shows no sympathy; after all, they have paid good money to see this much-talked-about show, whose previous performances have included “Hanukah, Bloody Hanukah” and “Freeway 2: The kidnapping of the Trick Baby” (Not much thought went into that suggestion… hrmm… whatever).

And here we are, waiting for a new unique performance, this one named “Cannibals in Space”. I have to admit, the musical itself had very little to do with cannibals, but if anyone really noticed I very much doubt it, because once Baby Wants Candy starts they really don’t stop. Neither do the members of the audience – most seemed to be laughing so hard they had tears trickling down their face.

So what is it about The Musical that fills the entire auditorium night after night? It’s not the performers’ wonderful classically trained voices – because here it’s enough for them to barely carry a tune. And it can’t be the well-written storyline. Except that is exactly what it is. Baby Wants Candy are incredibly quick thinkers, make quirky references to politics and pop culture, conjure silly lyrics on the spot and most importantly – they all seem to possess a great sense of humour. And if you do too you will absolutely love it! Back to top

Latino Arabesque
Why Not? Nightclub – Run Ended

Objectivity went right out the window when I entered the nightclub, because watching my friends Peter, Lorna, Fiona and Sam dance was like any Wednesday, Friday or Saturday night for me. Or so I thought. Latino Arabesque introduces its audience to belly dance and salsa – the sauciest dances in town, through acrobatics, basketballs, wooden sticks and – not so surprisingly – sex appeal, and as far as technique goes these people know their business. If only they had looked as happy on that stage as they look when they freestyle in clubs around Edinburgh the show would have been brilliant, because when they enjoy themselves there is not a pair of eyes in the room that can resist following these four.

Lorna Gow and Sam Ganon love the stage, and the stage loves them. Their years’ worth of experience makes it even more difficult for Peter Rogers and Fiona Blair, whose first and second year it is doing the show, to match the performances of the other two. Which is a pity, because on the dance floor I have never before been able to rank them according to ability.

The show is a fast-paced demonstration of how one can dance after years of practice, and I don’t think I’m wrong in saying it inspired many to take lessons, especially as they were offered straight after the performance. It sure had my feet dying to get moving. El Barrio is calling… Back to top

The Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes
Festival Theatre USC, Drummond Community Theatre – Run Ended

The people at Festival Theatre USC are all nutters.

There, now that is out of the way… Without being slightly nuts how else would they have come up with the idea to squeeze more than six hours worth of film footage into 30 minutes?

We don’t know, but what we do know is that it is funny. Very very funny, because what they’ve done is squeeze… and squeeze… and squeeze and ended up with an extremely intensive show that has its audience in stitches from beginning to end despite them not being able to hear more than 50% of the dialogue. But really, who needs to hear the lines? We’ve all heard them before, that’s why were laughing so hard! We’re also laughing because of the utter chaos surrounding us, from Princess Leia’s telepathic message to the school chairs-turned-spaceships (it’s amazing what you can do with a few torches). Chewbacca and Darth Vader are played by the same man, the main difference between his characters (except that of accents of course) being a pair of shades that he puts on or takes off. Darth Vader’s guards turn into fantasy creatures who look like they’re suffering from foot and mouth disease. Crates turn into spaceships, and the usher turns into Jabba the Hut. It is the most imaginative play done with minimal resources that I’ve seen, along with The Musical, in this year’s Fringe.

What can I say? I still haven’t digested the entire performance – therefore I hope that it will return next year, so that I can see it again and take in the remaining 50%. Back to top

Lady-Boys of Bangkok
The Meadows – Run Ended

A few years ago it was enough for the Lady-Boys of Bangkok to just prance on stage with music playing in the background. Apparently. This is coming from the man next to me whose third year it is watching the performance. I can’t help but wonder what his fascination is with cross-dressing Asian men? And why has he seen them perform three years in a row? Especially if they never did anything.

I know why I am there. I am curious. Very curious. People talk and this show is definitely the talk of the town. But why?

This year they’re prancing again, all right, but somewhere along the line they must have hired a choreographer because this year we are watching a proper cabaret show. The lady-boys are miming all the way through Abba classics, Raining Men, and somewhat ironically through Frankie’s “My Way”. But expecting these people to actually sing would be too much. After all, they don’t dance very well, they don’t look very male – in fact most of them have larger breasts and smaller thighs than I do – and every single person in that tent is there because these girls… boys… whatever… who could give Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista an inferiority complex are men. Supposedly. They’d better be. Otherwise they’re just mediocre dancers. Back to top

Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters
Wonderland Productions, C-Venues – Run Ended

Wyrd Sisters – the play – is a brief synopsis written for those who know what Pratchett is on about in his books. For anyone else this script had better be interpreted extremely well for the message to come across, and in the case of Wonderland Productions the aim is reached and indeed quite successfully. The message comes across with the help of the performers and their ability to interpret the lines in a way that brings events forward logically. They convincingly manage to portray Pratchett’s impossibly difficult characters – just not very funnily. The fairly straightforward performance gave no room for sarcasm – something Pratchett’s text oozes – which probably only left cold those who knew how the play could have been performed alternatively. It did leave me and the others who saw it debating heavily about whether we liked it or not, and why. So if nothing else Wyrd Sisters was definitely food for thought, both for avid fans and those indifferent to the talent of Terry Pratchett. Back to top

Antigone’s Last Dance
Aurora/WCSU, Edinburgh Academy – Run Ended

Why in the world would someone – anyone par Baz Luhrman – set Antigone in a club? What does the 21st century really bring to this ancient Greek tragedy? Oh who knows… and really, who cares? Whatever reason Aurora/ WCSU had to put it on, they do it with incredible skill. These talented singers manage to convey the original plot so that there is no doubt in anybody’s mind who killed who and why. The songs are fantastic. And if you go there for the singing you won’t be disappointed.

Overall Antigone is a bit of a mind boggle. It took me a while to accept the club scene. It took me even longer to accept the images flashing in the background. The play seemed more like “Genocide: The Musical” at first – until the screen was finally used for something that added to the performance rather than took away from it. After a while a camera was used to film extracts and occasionally capture stills of the performance, which worked as the perfect minimalist set for an otherwise quite extravagant performance. If I said I didn’t enjoy it I would be lying, because I really did. Americans know how to put on a show, there’s no denying that. But the dancing… What were you thinking, WCSU? Mediocre choreography and dance performances only work when you’re men pretending to be women, and in this case I sincerely hope no one was. Therefore, bring in a new choreographer next time. No, really. Back to top

Angel
Redkat Productions, Bedlam Theatre – Run Ended

Angel is a comedy about Matt and Ben, who were best friends until Ben died and left Matt behind to grieve. Imagine Matt’s surprise when he, the morning after Ben’s funeral, finds none other than his best friend in his living room. Well, almost. Ben’s girlfriend also happens to be standing in the living room, having just gotten out of bed – Matt’s bed.

She can’t see him, Matt can – and for a dead guy Ben is being awfully obnoxious! To think this was all God’s cunning plan… But then again, he doesn’t seem to have things under control either. A whole lot of faffing is going on in heaven, leaving Matt and Ben up to their own devices when it comes to figuring out what the hell they’re supposed to do now.

Angel isn’t quite the laugh-a-minute comedy, as it is a heart-warming feel-good piece of theatre. The performances aren’t striking; they are realistic and easygoing. The text isn’t pretentious; it comes across as the most natural conversation. The costumes aren’t original; they fit the piece, and all in all everything seems to work smoothly, resulting in a convincing performance that holds the audience’s attention from beginning to end. It is one of the plays where you don’t come out thinking, “This should be on Broadway” – but if you don’t come out with a smile on your face you’re dead inside! Back to top

Sri-Ba Alba
Venue 143, The Bongo Club – Out of the Blue, 14 New Street
Aug 4-11 (not 5); 11.00 (noon); £5(£3)

What better way to start your morning than with African rhythms? Sri-ba Alba kicks off with a drum number that has its audience tapping their feet, and the first dance number wakes up even those who just got out of bed. The Bongo Club, surprisingly, is the perfect venue, with lit candles on the tables adding to the atmosphere. Sitting there you would never believe it was 11am.

Sri-Ba Alba is a group of young women who started out being taught by Scottish belly dancer Lorna Gow, and now, together with Fiona Maher and Gow, developed their own program in the Fringe. Though the show includes lively and fun performances from the entire ensemble, it is definitely the solo performances and the duets that bring out the potentially serious talent in the group. Keep your eye on these girls: you never know where you will see them next, but you will want to remember where you saw them first. Besides, any show that includes Darude’s “Sandstorm” (Go Finland!) in their performance gets my sign of approval. Back to top

Puppetry of the Penis
Venue 14, Gilded Balloon at Teviot Row House, 5/2 Bristo Square
Aug 3-6, 8-9, 13, 15-16, 20, 22-23, 27: 22.00 (23.00); £10 (£9)
Aug 10-12, 17-19, 24-26; 22.00 (23.00); £11(£10)
Aug 10-11, 24-26; 23.15 (00.15)
Aug 27, 23.15 (00.15); £10(£9)

With most men in the audience thinking “Oww, that must hurt!” and women hiding behind hands and fits of hysterical laughter, Puppetry of the Penis manages to touch every member of the audience. Thankfully, only one person is literally touched, but she stupidly volunteered and will now have nightmares for all eternity.

Whether the production itself can be described as art is debatable, but its originality is not. With the “Surfboard”, the “Do-It-Yourself Hamburger”, the “Loch Ness Monster” and the all-time favourite “Slowly Emerging Mollusc”, these boys stop at nothing to get an extra giggle. It’s a good thing they can stretch their crown jewels in all these directions, because frankly the speak between the act is dire. But who needs a clever script when you can turn your dick into any form of the Colonel’s KFC? Back to top

Dracula
S of A productions
Venue 88, C Underground, Niddry Street South
Aug 4-26 (not 14), midnight; £8 (£6)

There is almost no one in Western society who is not familiar with Dracula, whether it be Bram Stoker’s classic character, Gary Oldman’s camp but sexually charged interpretation or Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of the most famous Transylvanian count in history.

Described by one member of the audience as “subtitles for those hard of understanding” this particular production not only tampers with a classic but manages to tear out all the pages, burn them and jump repeatedly on the ashes. Not because their story is so unique that they simply can afford to rip the book to pieces, but, in fact, because it isn’t. Bram Stoker’s book, famous as it may be, makes for awful theatre, yet S of A productions has cherished every one of his words, not leaving out anything.

With half the cast hamming up their performances, and the other half playing it deadly straight, the audience was not as mesmerized and fascinated as they were bored and unsure whether to laugh or cry. Some did both, and after the interval a full house had turned into an audience of five.

Director James Gilbreath has to be credited for a few innovative ideas. Well, two innovative ideas. But the fact that mirrors in the play are portrayed beautifully, plus that one scene is viewed as if it was filmed from above – this is simply not enough reason to stay awake past midnight. Described by The Stage as “Definitely fringe theatre at its best” – well, that it is not. Back to top

Nicky Silver’s Raised In Captivity
Festival Theatre USC
Venue 25, Drummond Community Theatre, 41 Bellevue Place
Aug 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 7pm; £5

In a way that only Nicky Silver can, Raised In Captivity takes up themes of homosexuality, family relations in turmoil and incest. The play introduces you to a pair of dysfunctional siblings who have just lost their mother in a freak accident. Benjamin has lived in celibacy and debt since his gay lover died 11 years ago, and his hysterical sister Bernadette is stuck in a marriage she thinks is perfect but is slowly falling to pieces. Benjamin’s psychiatrist has been abandoned by her husband and all her patients, and punishes herself both physically and mentally. And Bernadette’s husband hates teeth – which is quite unfortunate, as he is a dentist. Doesn’t sound like a bundle of joy, does it? Well, you’re wrong. Nicky Silver has a talent for making the most miserable situations seem funny. The snappy dialogue and strong performances from the company has its audience in stitches, and what you are laughing at is so tragic that you can’t help but feel guilty about what you’re finding amusing. Raised In Captivity is tragicomedy at its best. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an unforgettably captivating night at the theatre. Back to top

City Of The Dead
Black Hart Storytellers
Venue 213, Royal Mile
Aug 5-31, 8.30pm, 10pm; £5 (£4)

Standing in a graveyard in the middle of the night, you have to ask yourself if this really was a bright idea. What isn’t helping is that you are standing inside a tomb with about 20 other people – and the girl next to you just fainted. No, I’m not making this up: the only recorded sign of poltergeist activity in Edinburgh is in the Covenanter’s Prison, at the back of Greyfriar’s graveyard, and we’ve just decided to pay this supernatural force a visit. An American girl standing nearby is convinced she is an inductor, i.e. a person who is very sensitive to supernatural phenomena and can, in a worst case scenario, create her own poltergeist. When the girl faints the other one exclaims “Oh my God, I hope I didn’t cause that!” Whether I believe in what I saw or not is debatable, but after standing on 350,000 dead people, I wasn’t too inspired to do further investigating.

City of the Dead is a fairly amusing but not quite extraordinary experience, until you get to the graveyard, and this is where it all begins. The joyful legends of Edinburgh are shattered and you’re run through horrendous stories of the disease-ridden, dirty city the Athens of the North used to be. And then of course you have the Mackenzie Poltergeist. No matter what you believe in, there is enough hype on this tour to make even the worst sceptic feel uneasy. If you don’t believe me, go hang out with the poltergeist, and then tell me I’m wrong. Back to top

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