The Edinburgh Fringe 2006

Saturday

The journey was uneventful. David and I read though and discussed one of the chapters of my book. We concluded that it needed thorough revision. We checked in at our usual hotel before getting to our first show at the main "C" venue "Can't Pay, Won't Pay" [**]. This was by Daniel deFoe, and I think I've seen it before in London. It is a farce based on the idea that the working class of an Italian town refuse to pay for anything because they are too poor. It then turns in to a comedy of errors as one subterfuge leads to another, with one woman being forced to claim to be acting as a surrogate mother for her friend. One of the actors was particularly good, and kept up the verbal pace - which the text demanded. The others were a bit weak, however. We then had dinner in a rather nice Italian restaurant that we know of.

Next we saw "Parasites" [***] in "C central". This was an indictment of academia. One researcher rubbished another's work in public so that it could be taken forward by a government agency in secret. However, they got their comeuppance by being infected by the very nematode parasites that they were themselves developing for nefarious military applications.

Then we moved on to "Zoo Southside" where we saw "Vocation of a Whore" [****] This was a superlative one actress play. The story was of a woman who started off as a prostitute, but then decided to become the "perfect wife". She was frustrated in this mission by the facts that her fiancé was by no means perfect and that her ex madame wished to recruit her to entrap and embarrass a Catholic politician who was intent on outlawing the "sex trade". She finished up marrying the "hit mam" who had been hired by her ex madame to make sure that she did her job.

We then walked to the "Udder belly", where we met up with Andy - my "on-line" Dungeon Master - and his girlfriend. We discussed Dungeons and Dragons and philosophy over a glass of cider before going to see "GayDar Diaries" [***] This was better than I had expected and a lot less "raunchy" than I had thought it might be. Some of the stories were quite touching. We then caught a taxi back to the hotel, as it was late (00:30) and I was developing a nasty blister on the ball of my right foot.

Sunday

We than walked to "Baby Belly" (the weather started to clear up and it then became rather warm) to see "Breaking the pope" [****] which was a very moving play about the infamous "Magdalene Laundries" where sadist nuns "thrashed the sin out of fallen women." This went on long after the Second Vatican Council supposedly "reformed" the Church and made it more humane.

Our next show, "Love Labours Won" [***], was at the "Gilded Balloon Teviot", we had a drink beforehand in my favourite student bar. It is very reminiscent of a Cambridge college, the walls being panelled and covered in paintings and heraldic shields. The play started well, but was very disappointing compared to the one that its author/director put on last year. 

We then walked to the Traverse theatre to see "Onysos The Wild" [***] We don't really like this venue, but we always seem to go to one production there each year. I almost fell asleep in this performance. I don't think that it was the fault of the play or the actor, though. It was about Dionysius' quest for revenge on humanity as a result of him being murdered as a new-born infant and then resurrected by his father Zeus.

We then walked to the "Underbelly" for "The sperm monologues" [****] This was much better than I had expected it to be. There was a wide variation in the messages left by "sperm donor dads" for their progeny. They varied from real messages of love (in the abstract) to harsh and unfeeling self justifications. Finally, we tottered back to "C central" for "Crime and Punishment" [***] This was disappointing. A good story, good acting, good set - but the text somehow left out most that is of value in Dostoyevski's novel. I think that it was simply edited too harshly and that an extra ten minutes could have made all the difference.

Monday

"All I can say about this cleverly constructed and highly entertaining play, therefore, is that it lives up to its billing, having more than its fair share of unexpected twists and turns. It also has many of the usual ingredients of the country house mystery - the wealthy victim who is about to make a new will, a house full of visiting relatives, all with expectations and two of whom have brought partners with them who are clearly only interested in the money their intendeds might be about to receive, a detective who is fortuitously also among the guests and (naturally) accuses all the suspects by turns, an apparently unbreakable alibi, and even a butler! 

These elements are put together in a light-hearted, highly entertaining murder mystery which is exceedingly well acted by its cast and which defies anyone to work out all the ramifications of its plot before they are finally revealed on stage."

We then had to rush up the Royal mile to get to "Diverse Attractions" for "The Bacchae" [**] We saw a more contemporary production of this in 2003. This one was more conventional - and much less well acted. I still cannot understand why the "bad guy" decides to go spying in drag on the Bacchae (and so come to a violent death at their hands) - unless it is a madness put into his head by Dionysius.

We then returned to the "Gilded Balloon Teviot" for "My brother and I are porn stars" [*] This was bad. The humungous talking phallus did little to make it any better! We then crawled back to Old St Paul's church hall (where I had a very welcome cup of tea) for "Dark North" [****] This was an excellent gothic horror. It featured a psychic who had no faith in his own powers. The production was very simple but most atmospheric. The twist in the tail was unexpected. I was very pleased that my blister hadn't got terribly bad today.

Tuesday

We then walked (I hobbled - my blister was starting to play up) to the "Pleasance Dome" to see "The Coma" [*****] A man goes to the rescue of a girl who is being attacked on a tube train. He is kicked insensible and goes into a coma. The play is about his experiences while unconscious and his growing realization that he is unconscious and dreaming. The main actor was very, very good. There were some interesting ideas about consciousness and the mind, that were relevant to the chapter of my book that I am currently revising.

We then sauntered over to "C" for "Top Gun" [****] This was a well acted stage version of the well known film. The aeroplane dog-fights were portrayed very well. The solo rock guitarist was a nice addition to the cast. Our next show was back at "Augustine's", "Elegies" [****] David and I saw this with Matt and Karen, the first year that we came to the fringe. That was a better - more intimate - production, but this was moving too. We finished the day at the same venue, with "Murder at the Savoy" [***] A bit of light-hearted "Gilbert and Sullivan style" froth. Amusing and entertaining, nevertheless. We then caught a taxi back to our hotel.

Wednesday

We then walked to "Greyfrier's Kirk House" for "The Play's the thing" [***] An amusing story of a director who couldn't cast anyone to play Hamlet because he really wanted to do it himself, but couldn't bring himself to admit as much.

Our next show was in "The Cow Barn" - actually a rather plush concert hall. It was "The Irish Curse, by Martin Casella" [*****], a  sensitive and moving portrayal of a support group for men with a very small penis. One was gay and a self-confessed sex addict; one a Catholic priest - who felt that he'd been "forced" into the priesthood by "the curse", but now realized how blessed he had been; one a young man about to get married and terrified about the reaction of his wife when she found out about his "affliction"; one a middle aged man who had just been abandoned by his wife; and one a young man who had a healthy sex life with a loving girl-friend but still felt inadequate. This play is showing in the London at the The King's Head Theatre from 16th January 2007. The company is Steven Henry's "28 Productions Ltd" who brought "Corpus Christi" to Edinburgh in 1999.

"Not the sort of show I'd normally go and see but very glad I did. A play based on the bizarre true story of the last two jews left in afghanistan, who apparently hated each other. I was expecting it to be heavy going, but it was actually really funny. Excellent cast, great characterization and a nice staging of two neighbouring apartments with action going on in both. A very engaging and satisfying play. It's worth reading about the original story it was based on. I found it here: http://www.haruth.com/JewsAfghanistan.html"

"A quest to understand the psychological, physical and emotional conflicts faced by man - and woman - throughout time, throughout today. Dionysus - the Greek god of wine and fertility - challenges the hypocrisy of Apollo - the Greek god of order and truth. Why do we do what we do? Why do we say what we say? Why don't we do what we think? A compelling assault on the morals of humanity and the gods..."

Thursday

"Gary Shelford takes us in the palm of his hand for nearly two hours without an interval and leads us into his farmyard. We are surrounded by pigs, cows, horses, dogs, hens and crazy sheep in Orwell's fairy tale world. Shelford has presence and stamina in buckets and it will only get better with time. This has always been one of the greatest one-man shows on the fringe - a real test for an actor and Shelford makes light work of it! And even though it is the same wonderful, tight and topical script, Shelford makes it his own. If you only see one one-man show on the fringe, this has to be it. The quote on the poster says, "Gary Shelford IS Animal Farm". They're not wrong. WOW!"

We then walked to "Rocket at Demarco" (where there proved to be a warm and comfortable cafe) for "Boom Bang-A-Bang" [****] This was a pleasant enough gay themed story, where a soon to be married couple split up and instead "boy gets boy" and "girl gets girl": just as it should be! It started a bit slow, but gained pace and character soon enough. We then returned to the nice Italian restaurant for a leisurely dinner, while it rained outside. Our next play "Killing Time" [*****] was on the top floor of "C". This was a fantastic "thriller". It was superlatively acted and had a first-rate plot with a totally unexpected twist in its tail. 

We finished the day with "Jack the Lad" [*****] This was also at "C", but one floor down. It was a cross between the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Confessions of a male prostitute". Just like the previous play: it was superlatively acted and had a first-rate plot with a totally unexpected twist in its tail. At the end, I felt a great sympathy for the main character, who had had a very bad deal out of life - including seeing his bitter mother kill his beloved father with an axe!

"wow..wow..wow!!!! came out feeling battered and bruised, shocked and disturbed. China Town Meets '7'...eeeek!!! Its an awful long time since any piece of drama has managed to produce that effect on such an old cynic. Definitely not for the squeamish or faint hearted or people with any kind of sexual insecurity, but anyone with an open mind who likes a bit of psychological horror now and again and wants to experience something a little scary and out of the ordinary should be very entertained.

I thought that the main actor playing Jack - apart from looking delicious - handled the various different characters convincingly and interestingly. In my opinion he made an obviously very difficult role look effortless. The supporting actor who plays a further set of characters (the clients of Jack the prostitute) makes each one very plausible, and different and had me totally convinced. 

The fact that the story told is the well known children's tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, I found fascinating - as the way it is told (through the eyes of a rent boy on the road to destruction) just makes it a bit of a.... no a total mind f..k. Despite its sinister nature it is also often very funny and had me laughing out loud, mainly about the hypocrisies surrounding sex, religion and convention. 

Also, a couple of weird little twists near the end had me questioning my sanity. Oh! and some of the music..... Creeeeepy!!! As I say not for the faint hearted or squeamish but I was in Edinburgh for four days saw some good stuff, bad stuff, boring stuff - as you do. I would definitely put this play at the top of my list. By far the most thoroughly entertaining piece of theatre that I saw!!! Just off for an extended session with my therapist...."

Friday

"‘Iliad, The Fall of Troy’ is an energetic and captivating play that beautifully depicts the horror of the ten years of the Trojan siege. During 1½ hours of action packed adventure the attractive youthful cast brilliantly relate one of the greatest stories ever told with some humour and much violence. The acting is consistently excellent. The performers capture our imagination leading us to weep for the futility of the conflict and the inevitable slaughter of the Trojans. The show is brilliantly acted, well produced and directed, and has some of the best choreographed sword fighting on the Fringe. In fact, the prospect of a member of the audience becoming one of the Trojan casualties often seemed all too likely. It is to the credit of the actors that the fee paying public left intact. Homer wrote that ‘It is tedious to tell again tales already plainly told.’ Well, this ‘Iliad’ was never tedious, was told with great energy, and was always enthralling. The show is another success for Live Wire Theatre and a ‘must-see’ at this year's Fringe. Only one niggle; no programme or list of actors’ names was available the night I was there. Even a typed sheet would be appreciated. Please ‘Live Wire Theatre’, post a list of the cast here."

Saturday