Theatre
| 27 August 2011
In the crush of the London Underground carriages, lives intersect like the lines that thread beneath the city. One Under masterfully brings to the forefront the thoughts that capture our imaginations as we sit solemnly waiting for our stops in a subtly and deftly told piece of drama.
| 27 August 2011
Engulfed by the hubbub of the Pleasance Courtyard, for an hour Invisible Show II makes you privy to the secret lives of those embedded in the milling crowds, with a set of headphones and your keen eyes your only guides.
| 24 August 2011
Able to snap between bold physical expressions into understated naturalism in a heartbeat, this three-strong cast gives one of the best Fringe performances of 2011. The play follows three recently liberated prisoners and their struggles to readjust into a society that has discarded them. Magnificently expressed by Paul Tinto, Verity Hewlett and Shane Shambhu, Release deserves accolades aplenty and your crucial attendance.
| 24 August 2011
Arthur Dodsworth has recently retired and this afternoon it his ‘pleasure’ to play host to his former secretary, Peggy Prothero, as she opportunely drops in for a visit. Charmless and brash Miss Porthero is keen to fill in her old boss on all the changes at Warburtons since his departure, saving her most callous bombshell until the very last minute.
| 23 August 2011
Private Peaceful tells the tale of Private Tommo Peaceful as he forces himself to stay awake by tracking the journey of two Brothers in Arms, himself and his older brother Charlie, from their home in the West Country to the killing fields of Ypres. Acted alone by Leon Williams, Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel is beautifully recounted and perfectly pitched for the family audience this Fringe.
| 21 August 2011
Every moment of 1927’s The Animals and Children Took to the Streets is absolutely infused with gorgeousness. Whether the cast find themselves in the grimy, cockroach-ridden rooms of Bayou Mansions or the heady heights of the Mayor’s office, there is not one second that is not beautifully and intricately realised.| 21 August 2011
Confined to a bathroom, this adaptation recasts Odysseus as Grant, a modern war veteran who, although physically at home, is not mentally there: instead he is battling the demons of his mind, in a desperate attempt to return to his wife Penny. | 21 August 2011
Paddy Cunneen has outdone himself, writing and directing a tale of urban warfare in modern Glasgow that finds its unlikely roots in Greek tragedy. | 21 August 2011
Storytelling has gone a bit meta this Fringe. By that, I mean that many of the fascinating storytellers attending the festival are not only weaving their tales, they’re showing you the loom they did it on.Chris Goode is a fine example of this. He begins this one-man play by explaining what inspired him to write it: his first, unrequited love for a boy in his class at school, a boy who had a girlfriend but spent his lunchtimes sharing a pair of earphones with Goode, listening to music and between them “making stereo”.
| 19 August 2011
Patient H.M. is the most written-about case study in the history of neuroscience; in 2009, H.M.’s brain was dissected live on the internet to a global audience of over 400,000 people. What 2041 Objects beautifully brings to our attention is the story of the man behind the furor, Henry Molaison: how he lived his life, as well as the ordinary passions and pains that stirred him and ultimately led him to undergo a radical surgery that would leave him constantly trapped in the present.
| 19 August 2011
In a dilapidated mansion in central London, a group of squatters host a party to launch their anti-capitalist campaign: unbeknownst to them the evening will have devastating consequences.
| 19 August 2011
When I saw that Central School of Music and Drama was back at the Fringe after a couple of years’ absence, I knew I had to get a ticket to its graduate show. After all, in 2008 I was so moved by their alumni’s production The Boy from Centreville, about the Virginia Tech shootings, that I gave it five stars on this very site. This year’s topic sounded just as interesting – human trafficking.
| 18 August 2011
Joe Bones’ hotly anticipated Bane trilogy is story-telling at its best: no props, no set, only Bones commanding the empty stage, creating each and every character, underscored by Ben Roe’s hauntingly evocative guitar strumming. This film-noir parody is truly a must-see, with the ‘wastes no time, takes no prisoners’ hired hand Bruce Bane attracting big numbers, testifying to this show’s appeal.
| 17 August 2011
This urban ghost story by Michael Wicherek is outstanding from every angle you look at it.Truly, from its bare evocative stage set that subtly changes with the scene’s mood and setting, to the snatches of music that ebb and flow in and out of the performance, Time for the Good Looking Boy creates an atmosphere that has the hairs on the back of your neck raised and your eyes fixed upon actor Lloyd Thomas.
| 17 August 2011
When the village boasts the healthiest pensioners in the United Kingdom, the local undertakers must find a way to keep the bailiff and imminent closure from its coffin-shaped door. Coffin Up brings this macabre tale to life without a single word being uttered.
| 17 August 2011
Written by Dave Florez and performed by Phil Nichol, Somewhere Beneath it All a Small Fire Burns Still, is one performance you are unlikely to forget.Specifically written for Canadian comedian-turned-actor Phil Nichol, this play takes his personal facts and fictions and melds them to create a platform for his incredible, if not disturbing, acting abilities.
| 14 August 2011
To anyone unfamiliar with the sporting culture of Glasgow, or its patter for that matter, I can imagine that Singing 'I'm No a Billy, He's a Tim'’ might not have a great deal of impact. Having grown up on the Southside of Glasgow myself, the play is the perfect explanation as to why I will always harbour a fierce hatred of football, thanks to exactly the kind of casual sectarian idiocy on display here. | 14 August 2011
Last year, Chris Larner accompanied his chronically ill ex-wife Allyson to Switzerland’s Dignitas clinic. In An Instinct for Kindness, Chris reveals the circumstances, morality and humanity surrounding the journey they made, and, in doing so, gives one of the most poignant and frank performances you are ever likely to bear witness to. This show is, simply put, remarkable, and the viewing public deserves to see it. | 14 August 2011
How does a Midwestern, churchgoing, motor-biking family-man become Rachael Jones? Lucy Danser’s world premiere of ‘Rachel’s Café’ gets under the skin of this very question. Based on the true story of Bloomington café owner Miss Jones, who Danser met whilst studying at Indiana University, this show is all about creating acceptance and understanding over a cup of coffee (or a nibble of cookie, as it turned out). | 14 August 2011
Reading the background information to The Observatory, one senses that Daniel Fexsmith’s debut play has all the potential to make a real statement amidst the sea of non-committal mainstream plays on the Fringe. This production is plugged as his interrogation of the morality of conflict and the corruption of justice through a military frame, directly inspired by the Siege of Sangin in Helmand Province and the recent conspiracy to cover-up torture and murder carried out by British troops in Iraq. More Articles...
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- Cul-De-Sac
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- Welcome to the Kerryman
- The Curse of Macbeth
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- Dr Apple's Last Lecture
- Silken Veils
- Brotherly Love
- Oedipus
- Julian Sands
- Marc Almond
- Trudie Styler
- Art Malik
- The Ballad of Backbone Joe
- Keepers
