Levelland, Assembly Rooms
Rich Hall has taken a tentative first step into the world of serious theatre with this play presenting a vision of an America where oil prices have risne about 2000%. Hall himself plays a provocative talk radio host whose assured, confident world view is shaken by the arrival of a young hitch-hiker to his studio, followed by two of the young man's "business partners".
Hall's script soars in places, and the idea is an intriguing one. Unfortunately it is let down by a poor structure in places; meaning some of the piece is very wordy, espeically before the arrival of the 3rd and 4th characters. Once the situation escalates and the tension is ratcheted up a few notches the piece starts to bubble and Hall's nightmare vision of a world where no one can be fully trusted reaches what must be one of many similar conclusions.
NTW : Sound effects of doors opening and closing.
JTD : Little "stumps" of door frames to indicate doors.
20 August 2006
Alas poor Yorick, I knew his puncture repair kit
Bouncy Castle Hamlet, Roxy Art House
One of the glories of the fringe is the opportunity it gives to brag about bizarre theatrical sights. In this case I know I will forever more be able to halt all discussions about Hamlet by saying "Of course, you've never really seen it until you've seen it on a Bouncy Castle." And indeed, this is what you get, a straight version of Hamlet performed on a Bouncy Castle.
The young cast tackle their casue with enthusiasm, although the performance I saw was marred by Hamlet sustaining an injury, deciding the audience had taken a dislike to him, losing hi slines and eventually quitting the stage in high dudgeon, leaving his fellows to make as fair a fist of it as they could. That the rest of the cast managed to do this is testament to their skill and application.
The Bouncy Castle was distracting at times, but at others it did actually add to the drama, during Ophelia's madness, for example.
A couple left after 30 minutes and it was only Hamlet's injury that made the rest of the performance worth sitting through. Ultimately the concept is what you come for and being able to see you've seen Hamlet on a bouncy castle is worht £7 of anyone's money.
NTW : The player king's lying back each time she changed characters in the play-within-a-play.
JTD : Staging the play-within-a-play on a mini Bouncy Castle
One of the glories of the fringe is the opportunity it gives to brag about bizarre theatrical sights. In this case I know I will forever more be able to halt all discussions about Hamlet by saying "Of course, you've never really seen it until you've seen it on a Bouncy Castle." And indeed, this is what you get, a straight version of Hamlet performed on a Bouncy Castle.
The young cast tackle their casue with enthusiasm, although the performance I saw was marred by Hamlet sustaining an injury, deciding the audience had taken a dislike to him, losing hi slines and eventually quitting the stage in high dudgeon, leaving his fellows to make as fair a fist of it as they could. That the rest of the cast managed to do this is testament to their skill and application.
The Bouncy Castle was distracting at times, but at others it did actually add to the drama, during Ophelia's madness, for example.
A couple left after 30 minutes and it was only Hamlet's injury that made the rest of the performance worth sitting through. Ultimately the concept is what you come for and being able to see you've seen Hamlet on a bouncy castle is worht £7 of anyone's money.
NTW : The player king's lying back each time she changed characters in the play-within-a-play.
JTD : Staging the play-within-a-play on a mini Bouncy Castle
Fresh Prince of Bel-size Park
Will Smith - How To Be Cool, Assembly Rooms
Why isn't Will Smith a household name? (I know that there is a Will Smith who is a household name - but why isn't this Will Smith a household name?)
He kept an audience from 16 to 65 (and that was just the front row) near hysterical fo 60 minutes with his dissection of what is and isn't cool and his own difficulties in understanding the dividing line.
Utilising his display screen less than in previous years, it was still integral, but his show was stronger for its use. When he isn't beholden to slides and video clips, Smith's self-dissection soars to well-crafted heights of absurdity and hilarity.
If Smith's skill and likeability were not proven in his material, then his wonderfully polite dealing with a drunken audient demonstrated it admirably.
As well as making you laugh, Smith really does make you wonder why Pete Docherty is cool but Dire Straits are not.
NTW : None at all
JTD : The ever-expanding "conversations with girls" diagram.
Why isn't Will Smith a household name? (I know that there is a Will Smith who is a household name - but why isn't this Will Smith a household name?)
He kept an audience from 16 to 65 (and that was just the front row) near hysterical fo 60 minutes with his dissection of what is and isn't cool and his own difficulties in understanding the dividing line.
Utilising his display screen less than in previous years, it was still integral, but his show was stronger for its use. When he isn't beholden to slides and video clips, Smith's self-dissection soars to well-crafted heights of absurdity and hilarity.
If Smith's skill and likeability were not proven in his material, then his wonderfully polite dealing with a drunken audient demonstrated it admirably.
As well as making you laugh, Smith really does make you wonder why Pete Docherty is cool but Dire Straits are not.
NTW : None at all
JTD : The ever-expanding "conversations with girls" diagram.
Put Big Light On !
Black Comedy, Greenside
The beauty of the fringe is seeing the legendary "concept" plays that don't get performed in the mainstream theatre anymore. Peter Shaffer's lights on/lights off piece is exactly in this mould, and this year has been tackled by a talented group from the University of Liverpool.
Special mention should go to Mark Rawle as the crusty Colonel, James Percy as the camp Harold (though his is probably the easiest part to play), and especially James Dale as struggling artist and Harry H Corbett dress-a-like Brindsley. The performers raise laughs and throw themselves into the slapstick with gusto and the set is well laid out to comic, if not aesthetic, effect.
Alas these efforts are let down by slack lighting cues and the atrocious acting of Elizabeth Ford, the one weak link in the cast. Despite the fact it ran 30 minutes longer than promised, Black Comedy represents a solid production of an oddly austere swinging 60s classic.
NTW : Nothing obvious, but the whisky was oddly clear.
JTD : A little character touch...Carol collecting a large soft toy along with her belongings when leaving.
The beauty of the fringe is seeing the legendary "concept" plays that don't get performed in the mainstream theatre anymore. Peter Shaffer's lights on/lights off piece is exactly in this mould, and this year has been tackled by a talented group from the University of Liverpool.
Special mention should go to Mark Rawle as the crusty Colonel, James Percy as the camp Harold (though his is probably the easiest part to play), and especially James Dale as struggling artist and Harry H Corbett dress-a-like Brindsley. The performers raise laughs and throw themselves into the slapstick with gusto and the set is well laid out to comic, if not aesthetic, effect.
Alas these efforts are let down by slack lighting cues and the atrocious acting of Elizabeth Ford, the one weak link in the cast. Despite the fact it ran 30 minutes longer than promised, Black Comedy represents a solid production of an oddly austere swinging 60s classic.
NTW : Nothing obvious, but the whisky was oddly clear.
JTD : A little character touch...Carol collecting a large soft toy along with her belongings when leaving.
He may be some time
Tom Crean - Antarctic Explorer, Assembly Rooms
The story of humanity has always been the story of exploration. In the early 20th century the frontier of exploration was the Antarctic; the so-called "last place on earth." As is pointed out at the start of this show, the leaders of these polar expeditions have become household names, Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton, but the men who supported them have been somewhat forgotten.
Adrian Dooley redress the balance in this one-man show in which he plays Tom Crean, the only man to go on three polar expeditions.
Crean's stories are gold anyway, and Dooley weighs them superbly to excite, entertain and on accaion move his audience deeply. His solo walk to base camp under Scott and Shackleton's last night off the coast of South Georgia are told so vividly there were times I forgot that the man on stage had not actually experienced those things.
Filled with character, insight and incident, this an hour and a quarter of pure quality. Tom Crean deserves to be celebrated for his exploits, so does Adrian Dooley.
NTW : None whatsoever
JTD : Dealing with audience distractions in character.
The story of humanity has always been the story of exploration. In the early 20th century the frontier of exploration was the Antarctic; the so-called "last place on earth." As is pointed out at the start of this show, the leaders of these polar expeditions have become household names, Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton, but the men who supported them have been somewhat forgotten.
Adrian Dooley redress the balance in this one-man show in which he plays Tom Crean, the only man to go on three polar expeditions.
Crean's stories are gold anyway, and Dooley weighs them superbly to excite, entertain and on accaion move his audience deeply. His solo walk to base camp under Scott and Shackleton's last night off the coast of South Georgia are told so vividly there were times I forgot that the man on stage had not actually experienced those things.
Filled with character, insight and incident, this an hour and a quarter of pure quality. Tom Crean deserves to be celebrated for his exploits, so does Adrian Dooley.
NTW : None whatsoever
JTD : Dealing with audience distractions in character.
Litmus
Robin Ince Isn't Waving, Assembly Rooms
I've sat to start this review a few times now and have struggled as I have very little, good or bad, to say about the show. Perhaps that says everything it needs to. I laughers, so did others. It made it's mark at the time but has faded since. See it as a fringe benchmark.
I've sat to start this review a few times now and have struggled as I have very little, good or bad, to say about the show. Perhaps that says everything it needs to. I laughers, so did others. It made it's mark at the time but has faded since. See it as a fringe benchmark.
17 August 2006
Mid fringe week madness
Panic not, gentle readers ! I have not been lynched by angry mobs of performers, fellow audients or ticket vendors, but have simply been watching too many shows (and writing reviews thereof) to post them on the site.
Stand by at the start of next week for :
Antarctic Exploration, Moonraker, My mum getting picked on by a comedian, actorly strops, one word reviews of art exhibitions, koalas, koalas, koalas, stuff and, let's not be coy about this, nonsense, and more ranting than you can shake a stick at!
*Edit : just noticed that actually I didn't mention Will Smith's obsession with Moonraker, Corinne Grant's banter with my mum or the fact we went to the Zoo and saw Koalas, sorry*
Stand by at the start of next week for :
Antarctic Exploration, Moonraker, My mum getting picked on by a comedian, actorly strops, one word reviews of art exhibitions, koalas, koalas, koalas, stuff and, let's not be coy about this, nonsense, and more ranting than you can shake a stick at!
*Edit : just noticed that actually I didn't mention Will Smith's obsession with Moonraker, Corinne Grant's banter with my mum or the fact we went to the Zoo and saw Koalas, sorry*
11 August 2006
Syb - ill!!
In Pursuit of Cardenio, Underbelly
The legendary Ken Campbell tackles the legendary William Shakespeare, what can possibly go wrong? Read on, if you dare!
I had misgivings from the start but the show began strongly, with Ken outlining the differences between "soft" improvisation of the "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" variety and the "hard" improvisation we were going to see tonight. This would be improvisation without the gimmicks and flighty-ness as he and his troupe attempted to improvise the "lost" Shakespeare play Cardenio. Each of the improvisers was given an object from the audience and began to improvise around it in iambic pentameter while the audience went among them to observe. This was fascinating and I began to put my previous dislike of improvisation aside and braced myself for a rigorously stimulating evening.
Unfortunately we were then treated to 50 minutes of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" with a Shakespearean twist. No attempt to move on from (apparently) 7 previous "episodes" of Cardenio, no attempt to even make a coherent narrative, just - as always with comedic improvisation - arsing about for the delight of their fellow performers and friends in the audience.
A show with potential, and some of it was amusing, but being promised a different kind of improvisation and getting basically, the same old schtick was very disappointing. As the sainted TOM once said "..but what's it FOR?" If performing in general is basically showing off, then comedic improvisation is the two-year-old proudly showing you a freshly produced turd.
JTD : A couple of excellent performers really hitting their stride (Kelly and Adam)....
NTW : ....being overshadowed by a typically "look at me" old hand (Josh)
And now, an unbecoming, unpleasant, probably hypocritical and unjustified rant.
The sinking feeling in my stomach came while waiting to go into the venue when I spotted a contingent of middle-aged suburban bohemians also going in. These are the people who make the fringe unbearable at times for me. You know the type, all M&S cardigans, various bits of fabric tying their hair into a constructed bird's nest and applying make up more and more liberally with each passing year to end up resembling a cross between Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally and Bette Davis in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane. As Scotland The What once put it "Talk about mutton dressed as mock chop."
They sit in shows and bray at their friends about what they've seen and the last time they were in a venue this dark and dingy (indicating how few fringe shows they have actually seen) and delight at their digs being in "Spittal Street".
Made worse, of course, by their having friends among the cast (the most smug and self-satisfied members of the cast, of course) who then proceed to perform for them and elicit hilarious shreiks of laughter at every semi-funny gag.
If I had the oft-mentioned extra horn in my car I would be sounding it now.
The legendary Ken Campbell tackles the legendary William Shakespeare, what can possibly go wrong? Read on, if you dare!
I had misgivings from the start but the show began strongly, with Ken outlining the differences between "soft" improvisation of the "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" variety and the "hard" improvisation we were going to see tonight. This would be improvisation without the gimmicks and flighty-ness as he and his troupe attempted to improvise the "lost" Shakespeare play Cardenio. Each of the improvisers was given an object from the audience and began to improvise around it in iambic pentameter while the audience went among them to observe. This was fascinating and I began to put my previous dislike of improvisation aside and braced myself for a rigorously stimulating evening.
Unfortunately we were then treated to 50 minutes of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" with a Shakespearean twist. No attempt to move on from (apparently) 7 previous "episodes" of Cardenio, no attempt to even make a coherent narrative, just - as always with comedic improvisation - arsing about for the delight of their fellow performers and friends in the audience.
A show with potential, and some of it was amusing, but being promised a different kind of improvisation and getting basically, the same old schtick was very disappointing. As the sainted TOM once said "..but what's it FOR?" If performing in general is basically showing off, then comedic improvisation is the two-year-old proudly showing you a freshly produced turd.
JTD : A couple of excellent performers really hitting their stride (Kelly and Adam)....
NTW : ....being overshadowed by a typically "look at me" old hand (Josh)
And now, an unbecoming, unpleasant, probably hypocritical and unjustified rant.
The sinking feeling in my stomach came while waiting to go into the venue when I spotted a contingent of middle-aged suburban bohemians also going in. These are the people who make the fringe unbearable at times for me. You know the type, all M&S cardigans, various bits of fabric tying their hair into a constructed bird's nest and applying make up more and more liberally with each passing year to end up resembling a cross between Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally and Bette Davis in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane. As Scotland The What once put it "Talk about mutton dressed as mock chop."
They sit in shows and bray at their friends about what they've seen and the last time they were in a venue this dark and dingy (indicating how few fringe shows they have actually seen) and delight at their digs being in "Spittal Street".
Made worse, of course, by their having friends among the cast (the most smug and self-satisfied members of the cast, of course) who then proceed to perform for them and elicit hilarious shreiks of laughter at every semi-funny gag.
If I had the oft-mentioned extra horn in my car I would be sounding it now.
10 August 2006
What's in a name...
A question has been raised about the title of the blog.
To which I can only answer : "Hells bells, Ann! If you're looking at the blog you must be using the internet, a huge information resource. I haven't got time to explain everything in the minutest detail. I am trying to type up the minutes of the Resident's meeting, plan the car treasure hunt and work out the fixtures list for the Cricket Club. The Close doesn't run itself you know."
To which I can only answer : "Hells bells, Ann! If you're looking at the blog you must be using the internet, a huge information resource. I haven't got time to explain everything in the minutest detail. I am trying to type up the minutes of the Resident's meeting, plan the car treasure hunt and work out the fixtures list for the Cricket Club. The Close doesn't run itself you know."
Magically Delicious
Andrew Maxwell- 'Round Twilight, Pleasance
Charming Irish fellow Andrew Maxwell has made a bit of a splash on the Fringe for the past two years, and this year he has brought two shows to Edinburgh for the balmy August nights.
'Round Twilight is his basic, stand up show, centred around his love of the night time and the adventures you can get up to there. In reality this is a hook around which to hang a couple of lengthly anecdotes and the theme doesn't really reach much of a conclusion in any way.
Maxwell's material is more prominently hard-edged than the routines I recall most fondly from last year, and the show suffered a little as a result. Maxwell is an accomplished story teller, however, and there was only one point when my mind wandered a little from his tales.
Added to this Maxwell has bags of charm, which meant the Americans next to me continued to laugh heartily through a venomous dissection of the problems with their country and its power.
Perhaps if Maxwell had done more "slipping in" and less "forcing in" of politics I would have enjoyed his show more, but a chance to see a master at work nonetheless.
NTW : Difficult, but running through old material for the purposes of explanation didn't require such a long run up and milking the laughter for the gag a second time.
JTD : Either his Leith schemie accent or out-weirding the Cape Town muggers.
Charming Irish fellow Andrew Maxwell has made a bit of a splash on the Fringe for the past two years, and this year he has brought two shows to Edinburgh for the balmy August nights.
'Round Twilight is his basic, stand up show, centred around his love of the night time and the adventures you can get up to there. In reality this is a hook around which to hang a couple of lengthly anecdotes and the theme doesn't really reach much of a conclusion in any way.
Maxwell's material is more prominently hard-edged than the routines I recall most fondly from last year, and the show suffered a little as a result. Maxwell is an accomplished story teller, however, and there was only one point when my mind wandered a little from his tales.
Added to this Maxwell has bags of charm, which meant the Americans next to me continued to laugh heartily through a venomous dissection of the problems with their country and its power.
Perhaps if Maxwell had done more "slipping in" and less "forcing in" of politics I would have enjoyed his show more, but a chance to see a master at work nonetheless.
NTW : Difficult, but running through old material for the purposes of explanation didn't require such a long run up and milking the laughter for the gag a second time.
JTD : Either his Leith schemie accent or out-weirding the Cape Town muggers.
07 August 2006
Thar She Blows!
Moby Dick - Rehearsed, C3
American Students tackle Orson Welles' script of a play of a book thought to be unperformable and step into the shoes Gordon Jackson, Kenneth Williams, Patrick McGoohan, Christopher Lee and Joan Plowright with a bravery and gusto that can surely only be shown by those who have no idea who their predecessors were.
Thank God for their Yankee energy though, because my word it was long! The actors carry their audience through the more sedate and contemplative sections of the script to lead up to a rip-roaring climax of whale hunting as Ahab and his crew go down with the beast their captain has so single-mindedly hunted.
Kudos for casting Chad Jones as Father Mapple, possibly America's tallest man, ensuring there is no need for a pulpit as he is already several feet taller than the reat of the cast! Excellent work by Zac Hoogendyk (just for having that name!) as Ahab, Katherine Miles McPherson as Pip (never has a small black boy been so convincingly played by a blonde, white actress with a tambourine) and Brooks Asher as Starbuck (hats off to the inheritor of Noddy Holder's sideboards). Special praise, however, for Micah B. Hardt as the exasperated, slightly manic Stage Manager and third Mate Flask, keeping ship and theatre together with determination.
Be warned, however, there is a fair amount of singing goes on in this production, some of which could easily have been cut to reduce the running time (what is it about August that means one's attention span is reduced to 60 minutes?). Worse, some of it seems entirely bizarre, especially a song about women when half the crew are women! Suspension of disbelief becomes very difficult with a cast of radiantly beautiful students.
If you like whales, Welles or just ogling college girls (or boys! I'm assured) this is a show you'll very much enjoy.
NTW : The student's origins mean there's no chance of a sly Williams impersonation slipping in (sit Ryan MacKenzie down in front of Carry On Doctor and let's have the carpenter declaiming "ooh, cap'n Ahab, look at your thing, it's gone all limp, let me run my hands over it and I'll have it stiff in a jiffy! Nah, stop messin' about") Also don't put all your mates in the best seats. They'll laugh and clap anyway, and some of them are spectacularly ugly in a way only Americans seem to be able to be. Having a "Dramaturg" listed in the programme. (Can I just put NTW : They're American, take your pick! ?)
JTD : So that's what a lightning sheet looks like!
American Students tackle Orson Welles' script of a play of a book thought to be unperformable and step into the shoes Gordon Jackson, Kenneth Williams, Patrick McGoohan, Christopher Lee and Joan Plowright with a bravery and gusto that can surely only be shown by those who have no idea who their predecessors were.
Thank God for their Yankee energy though, because my word it was long! The actors carry their audience through the more sedate and contemplative sections of the script to lead up to a rip-roaring climax of whale hunting as Ahab and his crew go down with the beast their captain has so single-mindedly hunted.
Kudos for casting Chad Jones as Father Mapple, possibly America's tallest man, ensuring there is no need for a pulpit as he is already several feet taller than the reat of the cast! Excellent work by Zac Hoogendyk (just for having that name!) as Ahab, Katherine Miles McPherson as Pip (never has a small black boy been so convincingly played by a blonde, white actress with a tambourine) and Brooks Asher as Starbuck (hats off to the inheritor of Noddy Holder's sideboards). Special praise, however, for Micah B. Hardt as the exasperated, slightly manic Stage Manager and third Mate Flask, keeping ship and theatre together with determination.
Be warned, however, there is a fair amount of singing goes on in this production, some of which could easily have been cut to reduce the running time (what is it about August that means one's attention span is reduced to 60 minutes?). Worse, some of it seems entirely bizarre, especially a song about women when half the crew are women! Suspension of disbelief becomes very difficult with a cast of radiantly beautiful students.
If you like whales, Welles or just ogling college girls (or boys! I'm assured) this is a show you'll very much enjoy.
NTW : The student's origins mean there's no chance of a sly Williams impersonation slipping in (sit Ryan MacKenzie down in front of Carry On Doctor and let's have the carpenter declaiming "ooh, cap'n Ahab, look at your thing, it's gone all limp, let me run my hands over it and I'll have it stiff in a jiffy! Nah, stop messin' about") Also don't put all your mates in the best seats. They'll laugh and clap anyway, and some of them are spectacularly ugly in a way only Americans seem to be able to be. Having a "Dramaturg" listed in the programme. (Can I just put NTW : They're American, take your pick! ?)
JTD : So that's what a lightning sheet looks like!
Cheggers Can't Be Boozers !
Justin Edwards - Unaccompanied As I Am, Pleasance Courtyard
Justin Edwards, as part of The Consultants and children's "entertainer" Jeremy Lion, has always employed music as a mainstay of his comedy, and this year's show concentrates solely on this side of his talent. Alas, this has the effect of reducing his mid-show alcohol consumption considerably - but perhaps that's the point?
Presenting an old favourite - A suit of blue, of powder blue - at the top of the hour means starting on a laugh, and it's a standard largely maintained throughout the 60 minutes. Keeping an audience from 16 to 65 enchanted with, basically, smutty gags is testament to Edwards' way with a clever rhyme and unusual subject matter.
The hit-rate is so high that neither technical hitch nor early-run hesitancy can mar the enjoyment of Edwards' show. Songs about "man walks into a bar" gags, Edwards' guardian angel and, most brilliantly, the career of Paul Shane are of a high musical and lyrical standard and his many versions of Dean Martin's "That's Amore" are equally stunning and groan-inducing.
A solid, hilarious and good value hour.
NTW : A disappointing critique of "You Rang M'Lord" (surely the pinnacle of the Perry/Croft oeuvre) during the Paul Shane number, saved by the....
JTD : ...appearance of the Chuckle Brothers, theme from Chucklevision and the "To Me, To You" catchphrase.
Justin Edwards, as part of The Consultants and children's "entertainer" Jeremy Lion, has always employed music as a mainstay of his comedy, and this year's show concentrates solely on this side of his talent. Alas, this has the effect of reducing his mid-show alcohol consumption considerably - but perhaps that's the point?
Presenting an old favourite - A suit of blue, of powder blue - at the top of the hour means starting on a laugh, and it's a standard largely maintained throughout the 60 minutes. Keeping an audience from 16 to 65 enchanted with, basically, smutty gags is testament to Edwards' way with a clever rhyme and unusual subject matter.
The hit-rate is so high that neither technical hitch nor early-run hesitancy can mar the enjoyment of Edwards' show. Songs about "man walks into a bar" gags, Edwards' guardian angel and, most brilliantly, the career of Paul Shane are of a high musical and lyrical standard and his many versions of Dean Martin's "That's Amore" are equally stunning and groan-inducing.
A solid, hilarious and good value hour.
NTW : A disappointing critique of "You Rang M'Lord" (surely the pinnacle of the Perry/Croft oeuvre) during the Paul Shane number, saved by the....
JTD : ...appearance of the Chuckle Brothers, theme from Chucklevision and the "To Me, To You" catchphrase.
You Were Right, Lovejoy !
Dudley Sutton - Pandora's Lunchbox, Pleasance Courtyard
Like a slightly down-on-his-luck Tom Baker, Dudley Sutton can recount improbable tales of his life with charm and great humour. Structuring his show around the addictions his "inner Pandora" steers him towards, Sutton fits in anecdotes, poems and songs. None of which are brilliant but all of which are better than you expected.
Benefitting artistically, if not financially, from a small performance space and audience, the hour passed swiftly as if in the company of a much loved Uncle, or given his bare feet and aged baby face, an overgrown Hobbit. With his talking blues and poems nicely spaced out and relevant to the subject matter Sutton is never less than engaging. A long, blank verse tirade against modern life through the frame of Chelsea manages to amuse, outrage and inspire all at the same time but a closing punt at Tony Blair seems rather less focussed, although the central message (if "1984" is banned I don't want to live in such a state) is sound enough.
NTW : A rather too graphic description of the birth of his grand-daughter
JTD : Writing your cues on little stickers on the floor.
Like a slightly down-on-his-luck Tom Baker, Dudley Sutton can recount improbable tales of his life with charm and great humour. Structuring his show around the addictions his "inner Pandora" steers him towards, Sutton fits in anecdotes, poems and songs. None of which are brilliant but all of which are better than you expected.
Benefitting artistically, if not financially, from a small performance space and audience, the hour passed swiftly as if in the company of a much loved Uncle, or given his bare feet and aged baby face, an overgrown Hobbit. With his talking blues and poems nicely spaced out and relevant to the subject matter Sutton is never less than engaging. A long, blank verse tirade against modern life through the frame of Chelsea manages to amuse, outrage and inspire all at the same time but a closing punt at Tony Blair seems rather less focussed, although the central message (if "1984" is banned I don't want to live in such a state) is sound enough.
NTW : A rather too graphic description of the birth of his grand-daughter
JTD : Writing your cues on little stickers on the floor.
Carry On Oop La Scala
Cooking With Puccini, St George's West
What if TV had been around in Puccini's day? What if the great Italian composer had appeared on a "Light Lunch" style cookery and chat programme? What if, on the show, he was candid not guarded?
I think that's probably at least one "what if" too far, and that's just the first of three major problems with Cooking With Puccini.
The second is the breakneck pace necessary to make what feels like a 1hr 30min show fit into a 1hr 15min slot. This means the crucial connection between actors and audience is difficult to establish and never really gels. As a result, what could have been a climactic communal performance of the Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly is more than a little awkward.
The final problem is the difficulty in writing and acting supposedly spontaneous dialogue. This difficulty is not helped by a leading lady obviously case for skills other than acting. (Singing ! Settle down at the back!)
When Puccini does hit his stride the show works well, including the clever conceit that allows Puccini from Lucca (up north in Italy) to sound like he's from Leeds (oop north in England). That doesn't explain the widely varying accent of the "presenter" of the show, however. Overall it's an interesting idea, but it just falls flat.
NTW : The Whore's Dance - with dialogue whizzing past at 100 miles an hour you resent such a slow interlude.
JTD : Employing a stagehand with harmonising capabilities - highlight of the show.
What if TV had been around in Puccini's day? What if the great Italian composer had appeared on a "Light Lunch" style cookery and chat programme? What if, on the show, he was candid not guarded?
I think that's probably at least one "what if" too far, and that's just the first of three major problems with Cooking With Puccini.
The second is the breakneck pace necessary to make what feels like a 1hr 30min show fit into a 1hr 15min slot. This means the crucial connection between actors and audience is difficult to establish and never really gels. As a result, what could have been a climactic communal performance of the Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly is more than a little awkward.
The final problem is the difficulty in writing and acting supposedly spontaneous dialogue. This difficulty is not helped by a leading lady obviously case for skills other than acting. (Singing ! Settle down at the back!)
When Puccini does hit his stride the show works well, including the clever conceit that allows Puccini from Lucca (up north in Italy) to sound like he's from Leeds (oop north in England). That doesn't explain the widely varying accent of the "presenter" of the show, however. Overall it's an interesting idea, but it just falls flat.
NTW : The Whore's Dance - with dialogue whizzing past at 100 miles an hour you resent such a slow interlude.
JTD : Employing a stagehand with harmonising capabilities - highlight of the show.
Bussman (not Quantick) KINGSIZE!!
...although in fact she is quite petite.
Bussman's Holiday, St George's West
About 10 years ago I listened to a radio sketch show called Bussman & Quantick Kingsize about which I can remember very little other than "Rabbis In Love", a preoccupation with wolves and that it was very funny. In the intervening years, the exploits of David Quantick have been quite obvious to me, as a music journalist and comedy writer his work has dovetailed nicely with my own interests, but what of Jane Bussman?
Turns out I've probably seen quite a bit of her stuff too, UK and US TV comedy scripting and celebrity journalism. Jane's show tells us of her disillusionment with this life and her attempt to escape from it into the world of more serious journalism. This takes the form of a self-funded (beacuse no one will sponsor her story) trip to war-torn Uganda to report on the bizarre, entrenched and tragic social situation there.
Making comedy out of politics and tragedy is a tightrope and not one Bussman walks with complete dexterity (perhaps it's the glamourous but impractical shoes?), she never needs the safety net but her balancing cane is pressed into service regularly.
Technical problems plagued the performance I saw, most often - unfortunately - when the reveal of her slide show was the punchline of a gag. However, even with technology issues, Bussman relates an intriguing and incident packed narrative with great humour. Best of all, she doesn't hit you on the head with what you can do to help. (although if she wielded the riding crop she uses as a pointer for the purposes of discipline I wouldn't be complaining !)
NTW : The "National Geographic" filmed inserts
JTD : Turning her celebrity technique on Colonal Otema generating the response "I love Marks and Spencer...but they always try to make me get a storecard."
Bussman's Holiday, St George's West
About 10 years ago I listened to a radio sketch show called Bussman & Quantick Kingsize about which I can remember very little other than "Rabbis In Love", a preoccupation with wolves and that it was very funny. In the intervening years, the exploits of David Quantick have been quite obvious to me, as a music journalist and comedy writer his work has dovetailed nicely with my own interests, but what of Jane Bussman?
Turns out I've probably seen quite a bit of her stuff too, UK and US TV comedy scripting and celebrity journalism. Jane's show tells us of her disillusionment with this life and her attempt to escape from it into the world of more serious journalism. This takes the form of a self-funded (beacuse no one will sponsor her story) trip to war-torn Uganda to report on the bizarre, entrenched and tragic social situation there.
Making comedy out of politics and tragedy is a tightrope and not one Bussman walks with complete dexterity (perhaps it's the glamourous but impractical shoes?), she never needs the safety net but her balancing cane is pressed into service regularly.
Technical problems plagued the performance I saw, most often - unfortunately - when the reveal of her slide show was the punchline of a gag. However, even with technology issues, Bussman relates an intriguing and incident packed narrative with great humour. Best of all, she doesn't hit you on the head with what you can do to help. (although if she wielded the riding crop she uses as a pointer for the purposes of discipline I wouldn't be complaining !)
NTW : The "National Geographic" filmed inserts
JTD : Turning her celebrity technique on Colonal Otema generating the response "I love Marks and Spencer...but they always try to make me get a storecard."
02 August 2006
"It's like the Perth Road on a Saturday night...only with mortars"
So, day 1, show 1, National Theatre of Scotland's BlackWatch. And another excellent start to the Fringe. The staging was ambitious but well managed, the performances were of a uniformly (no pun intended!) high standard, and the writing was right on the button. A challenging and thought-provoking analysis of the modern Scottish squaddie, that repeatedly demolishes and confirms your beliefs, prejudices and hopes.
The "passing show" strucutre usually worked to the show's credit and lightened what could have been a very sombre evening but I felt the contruction at times needed a bit of re-arrangement to more effectively highlight the extremes of desert (or, indeed, any) warfare. Perhaps the most striking parallel was the clear link made between the modern army regular and the mineworker or shipbuilder of 40 years ago. It remains a dirty job, but someone has to do it and that someone tends to be sons from the more deprived end of society.
My only criticism would be that at times the "Dance and Physical Theatre" aspects went on a bit too long. I would particularly single out the closing "tattoo", although part of me suspects this was intended to signify the seemingly endless pointlessness of some aspects of the military life. The show's greatest strength, however, is its merciless skewering of all the attempts at political point-scoring (veiled or otherwise) using the lives of young men who consider themselves to be "just doing their job."
NTW (Needless Theatrical Wank) : Most of the choreographed fight scenes lacked the bite and impact of the more "casual" violence in the pub.
JTD (Justified Theatrical Device) : Either "letters from home" or the initial emergence of the fatigue-clad soldiers (they'll get through a lot of baize - the good people of Shrewsbury must be rubbing their hands in glee)
In other observations of Edinburgh in August 2006; I'm not happy with the large cow being constructed in Bristo Square or the seemingly regulation fly-postering that has taken place in the past few days - which seems to me to have too much of a hint of corporate muscle about it. I'm loving the massive banners draped on the Kirk Assembly though. That's probably rather contradictory I know. (I like the inside decor of Nazi rallies but not the publicity?).
Strangest feeling is one of being overwhelmed by the Fringe in a way I never have before, but this is probably due to having the new flat etc. to deal with.
The "passing show" strucutre usually worked to the show's credit and lightened what could have been a very sombre evening but I felt the contruction at times needed a bit of re-arrangement to more effectively highlight the extremes of desert (or, indeed, any) warfare. Perhaps the most striking parallel was the clear link made between the modern army regular and the mineworker or shipbuilder of 40 years ago. It remains a dirty job, but someone has to do it and that someone tends to be sons from the more deprived end of society.
My only criticism would be that at times the "Dance and Physical Theatre" aspects went on a bit too long. I would particularly single out the closing "tattoo", although part of me suspects this was intended to signify the seemingly endless pointlessness of some aspects of the military life. The show's greatest strength, however, is its merciless skewering of all the attempts at political point-scoring (veiled or otherwise) using the lives of young men who consider themselves to be "just doing their job."
NTW (Needless Theatrical Wank) : Most of the choreographed fight scenes lacked the bite and impact of the more "casual" violence in the pub.
JTD (Justified Theatrical Device) : Either "letters from home" or the initial emergence of the fatigue-clad soldiers (they'll get through a lot of baize - the good people of Shrewsbury must be rubbing their hands in glee)
In other observations of Edinburgh in August 2006; I'm not happy with the large cow being constructed in Bristo Square or the seemingly regulation fly-postering that has taken place in the past few days - which seems to me to have too much of a hint of corporate muscle about it. I'm loving the massive banners draped on the Kirk Assembly though. That's probably rather contradictory I know. (I like the inside decor of Nazi rallies but not the publicity?).
Strangest feeling is one of being overwhelmed by the Fringe in a way I never have before, but this is probably due to having the new flat etc. to deal with.
01 August 2006
We are on the brink of a new era, if only...
So, August is finally here, the signs are up, the flags are flying. It is festeeval time in Edinburgh once more.
One of the points of Mole Valley Valves was to post my festeeval diary. So here we go.
Currently I have booked a few shows, but intend to see many more. The heights of 2004 (44 shows) or even 2005 (34 shows) will not be reached, but at least 20 will be seen.
First show is going to be BlackWatch tonight... watch this space...
One of the points of Mole Valley Valves was to post my festeeval diary. So here we go.
Currently I have booked a few shows, but intend to see many more. The heights of 2004 (44 shows) or even 2005 (34 shows) will not be reached, but at least 20 will be seen.
First show is going to be BlackWatch tonight... watch this space...
27 July 2006
The Thrill of the New
Just a quickie today (ooh, matron, no!)
Have moved into my new flat and I love it. That "Englishman's home is his castle" is so true, and I'm not English!
This means I have been coming from the opposite side of town to get to work, and I think the combination of the less familiar, the beautiful weather and the joy of my flat and my things has meant I have a new appreciation for the beauty of Edinburgh. The view from North Bridge over Waverley Station to the Scott Monument to the New Town and the Castle is one of my favourites anyway, but it has sparkled over the past few days with a new luminescence. Everybody should come to Edinburgh, it is the greatest city in the world!
I think late July is my favourite time of year in Edinburgh. The city is gearing up for the festival (box office in place at the Assembly Rooms, Pleasance Courtyard being converted etc.) but the deluge of performers, fringers and other associated hangers-on has not yet descended. It is a city on the edge of it's moment in the sun and has an anticipatory buzz.
It begins again....
Have moved into my new flat and I love it. That "Englishman's home is his castle" is so true, and I'm not English!
This means I have been coming from the opposite side of town to get to work, and I think the combination of the less familiar, the beautiful weather and the joy of my flat and my things has meant I have a new appreciation for the beauty of Edinburgh. The view from North Bridge over Waverley Station to the Scott Monument to the New Town and the Castle is one of my favourites anyway, but it has sparkled over the past few days with a new luminescence. Everybody should come to Edinburgh, it is the greatest city in the world!
I think late July is my favourite time of year in Edinburgh. The city is gearing up for the festival (box office in place at the Assembly Rooms, Pleasance Courtyard being converted etc.) but the deluge of performers, fringers and other associated hangers-on has not yet descended. It is a city on the edge of it's moment in the sun and has an anticipatory buzz.
It begins again....
20 July 2006
Some ideas you might like to try at home
Been a while, but moving into the new flat is taking up most of my time, and work most of the rest of it.
Anyway, I thought I'd list some potentially revolutionary ideas I have had in the past and the reasons why I never carried them out, for your entertainment....
1. Starting in October 1992 only listening to Beatles songs that had been released by thirty years previously. Meaning, for example, that I could not listen to Rubber Soul until November 1995. This may have given me a better appreciation for the progression in the group's work. It was never done because it would have been too much hard work and probably impossible given that you hear the Beatles everywhere.
2. Writing down every thought you have in a day. It was never done because it would have been impossible and discussion with friends suggested you would probably go insane. I still think it's an interesting idea, however I think you would need a dictaphone type deal to do it, perhaps a modified MP3 player would have sufficient capacity. There would also be that scientific thing about the very act of monitoring something causing it to change.
3. The interesting list of "words that are not part of a mobile phone's basic text predicting dictionary". Every time I get a new phone I think about this one, because there are some basic words that are not there, and some interesting ones that already are. I have found that "nike", "coca-cola" (but not, interestingly, "pepsi") and "eastenders" are there for you to use but "inclement" is not ! What gives? Never done because I am too lazy.
4. Milk cubes !!!!! Potentially revolutionary way to add milk to drinks, they would come in a clear cube, the covering of which would degrade on contact with hot liquid. This could help dieters who need to use only a particular amount of milk. Never done because I am not a scientist.
5. The Macca Project. I did "Tug Of War" I really did, I will do it, but the flat is my concern now.
Anyway, I thought I'd list some potentially revolutionary ideas I have had in the past and the reasons why I never carried them out, for your entertainment....
1. Starting in October 1992 only listening to Beatles songs that had been released by thirty years previously. Meaning, for example, that I could not listen to Rubber Soul until November 1995. This may have given me a better appreciation for the progression in the group's work. It was never done because it would have been too much hard work and probably impossible given that you hear the Beatles everywhere.
2. Writing down every thought you have in a day. It was never done because it would have been impossible and discussion with friends suggested you would probably go insane. I still think it's an interesting idea, however I think you would need a dictaphone type deal to do it, perhaps a modified MP3 player would have sufficient capacity. There would also be that scientific thing about the very act of monitoring something causing it to change.
3. The interesting list of "words that are not part of a mobile phone's basic text predicting dictionary". Every time I get a new phone I think about this one, because there are some basic words that are not there, and some interesting ones that already are. I have found that "nike", "coca-cola" (but not, interestingly, "pepsi") and "eastenders" are there for you to use but "inclement" is not ! What gives? Never done because I am too lazy.
4. Milk cubes !!!!! Potentially revolutionary way to add milk to drinks, they would come in a clear cube, the covering of which would degrade on contact with hot liquid. This could help dieters who need to use only a particular amount of milk. Never done because I am not a scientist.
5. The Macca Project. I did "Tug Of War" I really did, I will do it, but the flat is my concern now.
03 July 2006
Randomnity
Subject 1 - stuff.
I have a lot of stuff. I went to my parents' house this weekend (and now that I *nearly* own my own house, I will have to stop referring to it as "my house", which I still think of it as, even though I haven't lived there in any permanent sense for nine years) and started to sort my stuff out. I genuinely didn't realise how much stuff there is. I bought three big "moving" boxes, and filled them within about an hour. I also have an issue with how to categorise and prioritise stuff. I started with what I thought would be easy, my books by, about or relating to The Beatles. I split them into three types - books I want to take to my new flat, books I don't want to take but I don't want to get rid of and books that can go out. I started to ruminate on this, because I am a hoarder and there are books there that contain no information not contained in other books and which I will probably never look near, but I don't want to just throw them out, it implies that they are worthless and they are not. So I have resolved I will sell them on eBay, and hopefully make a nice wedge. Hopefully. However, in order to do that I will need to secure the agreement of the parents to leave them boxed in their home for some time.
Anyway, I filled the box of Beatles, and it is too heavy to lift, so it will have to be decanted at a later date (when I have more boxes).
Next I moved on to videos, mainly of Doctor Who (old skool Who that is!) but also old telly ("three words, more. old. telly.") and, inevitably, The Beatles etc. That's another box full, and a little file box too.
Next was Douglas Adams and Monty Python - a little box, some charity shop bound (ulp!), and part of a big box.
This was followed by old music magazines, filled with interesting articles! you never know what bands you might get into!! and I even have nostalgia for certain issues - read that backstage at Romeo and Juliet!, made up a compilation tape from the list of great Queen tracks in that one!, I think that was the best article on Pink Floyd I've ever read and it was in the kitchen when I came back from watching England v. Scotland at Wembley in 1999. Some of these filled the bigger box, and others have been set aside as "more research is needed" before they can be definitively thrown away.
So I now have a half cleared bookshelf, and a half-cleared cupboard. Only the books on top of the cupboard and the big bookshelf to go. Wish me luck.
Subject 2 - the lost art of the compilation tape
I dropped the heavy black bag onto the patio, there were 100 sickening crunches as 100 cassettes - marginalised by the compact disc, rendered obsolete by the iPod - gave in to the pressure of their brethern bearing down upon them. In a sort of music format peace process the pre-recorded, cassingles, C60s, C90s and even a couple of C100s and C120s were put "beyond use".
As part of the great purge of my past the cassettes had to go. Simple nostalgia for old friends is not a good enough reason to hold onto things in the current climate. (As TOM said "....but what's it FOR!!!") I did keep a few : unique, unavailable in other formats, or at least not owned by me. But everything else had to go. Including a fair number of compilations. While going through this painful process that the compilation tape must have held sway for at least 25 years, possibly as many as 35. The satisfaction of a good compilation tape, one that ends mere seconds before the tape itself, is one that the current formats cannot hold a candle to. The CD-R compilation does not have the same thrill of gambling with time; as close to 90 minutes as possible, and not one second over. The CD-R software won't let you start if you can't finish. The MP3 compilation doesn't demand the same self-control, as there is no time limit, hence a 90 minute "best of" Rod Stewart expands to a behemothic 4 and a half hour playlist. Honestly, when am I ever going to listen to 4 and a half hours of Rod Stewart to appreciate the progression of a musical journey? I threw away three compilations of which I was immensely fond, two "soundtracking" comps, one for vocal songs from films (I believe there was a caveat that the songs had to be written and recorded especially for the film, or at least turn up there first) and one for instrumentals (all hail the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra! and John Barry's theme to Midnight Cowboy) and the pre-club compilation, compiled in 2000 and was more usually the post-club, must-hear-some-good-music compilation. I actually played this on Saturday afternoon, and the sequence of Say You'll Be There-Happy-Young Americans-The Seeker is uplifiting in too many ways to detail.
As well as these multi-artist compilations, there were excellent single-artist compilations too, from the cleverly titled ("These Stories I've Known - The Best of Kenny Rogers", "The Beach Boys - Love And Mercy, Heroes And Villains", "Fleetwood Mac - Singles Bar") to the matter of fact ("The Sting Cassette", "Rolling Stones Compilation", "Elvis").
And, of course, there were the bittersweet, High Fidelity style memories of compilation tapes made for others where the songs themselves, or the subtle ordering of the tracks were the message...
All of which is to say, so farewell then, the Compilation tape.
Subject 3 - How memories attach themselves
Today was a "very 2000/2001" day I thought. I meant the weather and temperature etc. reminded me of days at that time. But how does that work? There must have been days with rain in the air before then, and after, so why is it a 2000/2001 day?
Oh, the sweet mysteries of life...
I have a lot of stuff. I went to my parents' house this weekend (and now that I *nearly* own my own house, I will have to stop referring to it as "my house", which I still think of it as, even though I haven't lived there in any permanent sense for nine years) and started to sort my stuff out. I genuinely didn't realise how much stuff there is. I bought three big "moving" boxes, and filled them within about an hour. I also have an issue with how to categorise and prioritise stuff. I started with what I thought would be easy, my books by, about or relating to The Beatles. I split them into three types - books I want to take to my new flat, books I don't want to take but I don't want to get rid of and books that can go out. I started to ruminate on this, because I am a hoarder and there are books there that contain no information not contained in other books and which I will probably never look near, but I don't want to just throw them out, it implies that they are worthless and they are not. So I have resolved I will sell them on eBay, and hopefully make a nice wedge. Hopefully. However, in order to do that I will need to secure the agreement of the parents to leave them boxed in their home for some time.
Anyway, I filled the box of Beatles, and it is too heavy to lift, so it will have to be decanted at a later date (when I have more boxes).
Next I moved on to videos, mainly of Doctor Who (old skool Who that is!) but also old telly ("three words, more. old. telly.") and, inevitably, The Beatles etc. That's another box full, and a little file box too.
Next was Douglas Adams and Monty Python - a little box, some charity shop bound (ulp!), and part of a big box.
This was followed by old music magazines, filled with interesting articles! you never know what bands you might get into!! and I even have nostalgia for certain issues - read that backstage at Romeo and Juliet!, made up a compilation tape from the list of great Queen tracks in that one!, I think that was the best article on Pink Floyd I've ever read and it was in the kitchen when I came back from watching England v. Scotland at Wembley in 1999. Some of these filled the bigger box, and others have been set aside as "more research is needed" before they can be definitively thrown away.
So I now have a half cleared bookshelf, and a half-cleared cupboard. Only the books on top of the cupboard and the big bookshelf to go. Wish me luck.
Subject 2 - the lost art of the compilation tape
I dropped the heavy black bag onto the patio, there were 100 sickening crunches as 100 cassettes - marginalised by the compact disc, rendered obsolete by the iPod - gave in to the pressure of their brethern bearing down upon them. In a sort of music format peace process the pre-recorded, cassingles, C60s, C90s and even a couple of C100s and C120s were put "beyond use".
As part of the great purge of my past the cassettes had to go. Simple nostalgia for old friends is not a good enough reason to hold onto things in the current climate. (As TOM said "....but what's it FOR!!!") I did keep a few : unique, unavailable in other formats, or at least not owned by me. But everything else had to go. Including a fair number of compilations. While going through this painful process that the compilation tape must have held sway for at least 25 years, possibly as many as 35. The satisfaction of a good compilation tape, one that ends mere seconds before the tape itself, is one that the current formats cannot hold a candle to. The CD-R compilation does not have the same thrill of gambling with time; as close to 90 minutes as possible, and not one second over. The CD-R software won't let you start if you can't finish. The MP3 compilation doesn't demand the same self-control, as there is no time limit, hence a 90 minute "best of" Rod Stewart expands to a behemothic 4 and a half hour playlist. Honestly, when am I ever going to listen to 4 and a half hours of Rod Stewart to appreciate the progression of a musical journey? I threw away three compilations of which I was immensely fond, two "soundtracking" comps, one for vocal songs from films (I believe there was a caveat that the songs had to be written and recorded especially for the film, or at least turn up there first) and one for instrumentals (all hail the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra! and John Barry's theme to Midnight Cowboy) and the pre-club compilation, compiled in 2000 and was more usually the post-club, must-hear-some-good-music compilation. I actually played this on Saturday afternoon, and the sequence of Say You'll Be There-Happy-Young Americans-The Seeker is uplifiting in too many ways to detail.
As well as these multi-artist compilations, there were excellent single-artist compilations too, from the cleverly titled ("These Stories I've Known - The Best of Kenny Rogers", "The Beach Boys - Love And Mercy, Heroes And Villains", "Fleetwood Mac - Singles Bar") to the matter of fact ("The Sting Cassette", "Rolling Stones Compilation", "Elvis").
And, of course, there were the bittersweet, High Fidelity style memories of compilation tapes made for others where the songs themselves, or the subtle ordering of the tracks were the message...
All of which is to say, so farewell then, the Compilation tape.
Subject 3 - How memories attach themselves
Today was a "very 2000/2001" day I thought. I meant the weather and temperature etc. reminded me of days at that time. But how does that work? There must have been days with rain in the air before then, and after, so why is it a 2000/2001 day?
Oh, the sweet mysteries of life...
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