Edinburgh Fringe, Days 1 and 2
Aug. 12th, 2010 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
x_losThings What We Saw At The Edinburgh Fringe, Part 1:
Sunday:
Flanders and Swann (the not dead equivalent):
'Flanders and Swann' was (were?) charming--not the real guys, obvs, but good standup and songs with great delivery by a terrifyingly INTENSE man with eyes like gimlets of maaaaadness, who I hope really DOES live in Chelsea and condemn his partner to living in Battersea--for verisimilitude. Katy surprised to learn that I was surprised to learn F&S were not actually gay lovers (Terribly House and Garden was not autobiographical, it turns out (also apparently they didn't even really like each other? Like Gilbert and Sullivan! I always feel personally affronted when I discover these things. WHY CAN'T FAMOUS PAIRS BE FRIENDS?! Apparently to have a Great Colaboration all you have to do it not particularly like each other (in fact 'initial distaste' ossified by countless performances into 'quiet loathing' might be best))).
Caucasian Chalk Circle (Brecht!!--so serious he must be German):
I hadn't seen this one, but both my companions, Bonny Kate and Intrepid Seaman Sam, had already. A very YOUNG production of uni kids, with thick clown make up, that lifted itself above its Juggalo origins due to some really great staging and acting. Lots of remarkably engaging performances, and while the presentation was unconventional I felt it didn't really shatter the notions of Theatricality in the desired Brechtian manner--it was more hyper-theatrical.
Which is good because that Brecht 'let us break the fourth wall because audiences are otherwise incapable of critical thinking or transferring ideas' thing is utter shit. Using theater expressly as a vehicle to peddle insufficiently considered, fundamentally uninteresting first-wave notions of communism and to relentlessly pound a message into your audience rather than engage them in a dialogue about the issues in question is the Left's answer to the unmitigated shit that is Ayn Rand novels, and all the more insulting because
1) the Left should know better, and
2) because Brecht actually has some talent to piss away on using theater as the beast of burden for his political screed.
Anyway, it was an interesting play, well-produced by people who believe in theater as a self-justifying artistic medium in a way Brecht never did, thus providing an example of its aforementioned power. ...bitch.
Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theater:
As with Flanders and Swann, this was another pick of Bonny Kate's. And then we were talking in the auditorium and it came out that she'd only seen his End of Time parody, whereas I'd seen loads more of his shit?
The poor man had it hard-going, as the audience was a unwilling to engage with him on the World Cup (theater goers do not like football: fact?), suggestions of television shows for his semi-improvised comedic riffing, etc. It was still v. charming and sweet. Love the Michael Jackson song lyrics. Was shocked that he came out and bowed himself, ruining my deep belief in sentient socks and their internecine feuding. Now I am beginning to question the Great Pumpkin!! What a death of faith for Erin.
Every damn thing we saw had songs, often unintentionally--except, as Bonny Kate points out, for 'Now I Know My BBC.'
Monday:
Potted Panto:
The men who struggled through the story night to bring Bonny Kate Potted Potter earlier this year--maybe, she can't really remember, which undercuts their Epic Struggle, but you know, whatever, WHATEVER--struggle instead through the hellishly crowded venue that is Pleasance Courtyard to bring you a compressed retelling of six popular pantos. I have never really experienced Pantos, those most English of Christmas entertainments, but Katy has told me Lots about them (and I listened to 'Oh No It Isn't'), so I felt prepared.
Many many MANY children attended this show, but a fair amount of people our own age did as well. Intrepid Sailor Sam and I experienced the motherfucking magic of British theater. It was childish but in the best way, and now I need to go to a Christmas panto. The Prince Charming/Lord Flashheart character esp. good, and the accidental bursting of a prop pumpkin against the lighting rig was the accidental!best part. Sadly during the 3-D experience I did /not/ get any candy hurled at me. V. disappointed that wild ride through the candy factory on Cinderella's Carriage to escape the Ball should be so bootless (aha. Boots are shoes, and she's missing a--well. You know.).
Hamlet! the Musical:
Turned out to have professional production values, a large cast, and the most poorly-designed auditorium in all Fringetopia. Verily I bobbed around the head of the man in front of me whenever an actor moved, constantly craning for a better view--well, for any thing that could be called a view by even the most generous-minded. In that unventilated hell-box I slowly roasted in my own juices, and by the end of the first act I was probably delicious.
Except a weak number about Laertes being Latin (he was much better by the end when he returned from Paris French), my inherent dislike of the sort of puppets that consist of tiny bodies topped by human heads poked through a curtain (only Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, thank god), and beginning somewhat slowly, this was one of the strongest musicals we saw. The tunes were a bit catchy, the lyrics and dialogue were consistently funny, it had some good acting--I'd buy a soundtrack if I had spare cash.
Though it was entirely a comedy, I feel my Shakespeare!slasher friends should know that Hamlet! the Musical has Horatio and Ophelia played by the same person. AT LAST HAMLET CAN FIND REAL LOVE, VIA THE MAGIC OF DOUBBLING!
The Edge:
Intrepid Sailor Sam and I saw this one at his request. It had a good script, and was well acted, but it was nothing remarkable or new, I suppose? I really dislike the internet's appropriation of the term 'trigger' and the word 'triggery' to label anything slightly awkward or uncomfortable. A conversation you'd simply rather not have is not 'triggery,' and it insults people with actual problems and devalues the term to the point of uselessness to say so. This play's drawn-out, graphic reference to the incestuous rape of a young girl by her father and his friends could, however, be deeply uncomfortably for people who'd shared similar experiences, and could justify the term and the attendant warnings the internet is so fond of.
As such, though I wasn't myself offended, if I were producing this play I might have made clear in the description that this sort of thing was going to go down. Someone who was in a similar situation as a child could have been very disturbed and hurt. I'm not saying that really serious topics aren't a fit concern for art--of course they are. And a play could occasionally suffer from having to lay its matter on the table before the action brings you to the necessary revelations. Publicizing those aspects could also seem slightly sensationalist--as in 'come see our play, it has some crazy messed up shit like...'. But on balance, I think it might have been best (especially as this troupe was working with a charity for the prevention of violence to children) to protect victims of such violence by letting them know up-front that this is going to be a central topic of an intense play about teenagers committing suicide, staged in an incredibly intimate venue, and then letting them decide for themselves whether or not they're interested in seeing that.
Plague! the Musical:
While Hamlet was fun times, Plague! the Musical was somewhat weak. It had some good script moments and highish production values, and some poor singing. The anachronistic American-accented rats!! plot was a bit random, was was German!Death. The songs were generally rather forgettable, and the female lead a bit wet. I enjoyed the Undertaker Montage, the costumes were pretty nice, and the Undertaker Friend!Character was well-acted and fun. The revelation that the Pied Piper, previously boyfriend of Female Lead, was also her Uncle, and her father had been fighting with him all this time due to that, was more awkward than funny--wait so she's slept with her Uncle without knowing it? Er. Maybe that's kind of amusingly delivered, but also it's weird. And the BROTHERS ALL ALONG!! trope is as anemic as when it pops up in Sherlock Episode 1 with Mycroft.
Sunday:
Flanders and Swann (the not dead equivalent):
'Flanders and Swann' was (were?) charming--not the real guys, obvs, but good standup and songs with great delivery by a terrifyingly INTENSE man with eyes like gimlets of maaaaadness, who I hope really DOES live in Chelsea and condemn his partner to living in Battersea--for verisimilitude. Katy surprised to learn that I was surprised to learn F&S were not actually gay lovers (Terribly House and Garden was not autobiographical, it turns out (also apparently they didn't even really like each other? Like Gilbert and Sullivan! I always feel personally affronted when I discover these things. WHY CAN'T FAMOUS PAIRS BE FRIENDS?! Apparently to have a Great Colaboration all you have to do it not particularly like each other (in fact 'initial distaste' ossified by countless performances into 'quiet loathing' might be best))).
Caucasian Chalk Circle (Brecht!!--so serious he must be German):
I hadn't seen this one, but both my companions, Bonny Kate and Intrepid Seaman Sam, had already. A very YOUNG production of uni kids, with thick clown make up, that lifted itself above its Juggalo origins due to some really great staging and acting. Lots of remarkably engaging performances, and while the presentation was unconventional I felt it didn't really shatter the notions of Theatricality in the desired Brechtian manner--it was more hyper-theatrical.
Which is good because that Brecht 'let us break the fourth wall because audiences are otherwise incapable of critical thinking or transferring ideas' thing is utter shit. Using theater expressly as a vehicle to peddle insufficiently considered, fundamentally uninteresting first-wave notions of communism and to relentlessly pound a message into your audience rather than engage them in a dialogue about the issues in question is the Left's answer to the unmitigated shit that is Ayn Rand novels, and all the more insulting because
1) the Left should know better, and
2) because Brecht actually has some talent to piss away on using theater as the beast of burden for his political screed.
Anyway, it was an interesting play, well-produced by people who believe in theater as a self-justifying artistic medium in a way Brecht never did, thus providing an example of its aforementioned power. ...bitch.
Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theater:
As with Flanders and Swann, this was another pick of Bonny Kate's. And then we were talking in the auditorium and it came out that she'd only seen his End of Time parody, whereas I'd seen loads more of his shit?
The poor man had it hard-going, as the audience was a unwilling to engage with him on the World Cup (theater goers do not like football: fact?), suggestions of television shows for his semi-improvised comedic riffing, etc. It was still v. charming and sweet. Love the Michael Jackson song lyrics. Was shocked that he came out and bowed himself, ruining my deep belief in sentient socks and their internecine feuding. Now I am beginning to question the Great Pumpkin!! What a death of faith for Erin.
Every damn thing we saw had songs, often unintentionally--except, as Bonny Kate points out, for 'Now I Know My BBC.'
Monday:
Potted Panto:
The men who struggled through the story night to bring Bonny Kate Potted Potter earlier this year--maybe, she can't really remember, which undercuts their Epic Struggle, but you know, whatever, WHATEVER--struggle instead through the hellishly crowded venue that is Pleasance Courtyard to bring you a compressed retelling of six popular pantos. I have never really experienced Pantos, those most English of Christmas entertainments, but Katy has told me Lots about them (and I listened to 'Oh No It Isn't'), so I felt prepared.
Many many MANY children attended this show, but a fair amount of people our own age did as well. Intrepid Sailor Sam and I experienced the motherfucking magic of British theater. It was childish but in the best way, and now I need to go to a Christmas panto. The Prince Charming/Lord Flashheart character esp. good, and the accidental bursting of a prop pumpkin against the lighting rig was the accidental!best part. Sadly during the 3-D experience I did /not/ get any candy hurled at me. V. disappointed that wild ride through the candy factory on Cinderella's Carriage to escape the Ball should be so bootless (aha. Boots are shoes, and she's missing a--well. You know.).
Hamlet! the Musical:
Turned out to have professional production values, a large cast, and the most poorly-designed auditorium in all Fringetopia. Verily I bobbed around the head of the man in front of me whenever an actor moved, constantly craning for a better view--well, for any thing that could be called a view by even the most generous-minded. In that unventilated hell-box I slowly roasted in my own juices, and by the end of the first act I was probably delicious.
Except a weak number about Laertes being Latin (he was much better by the end when he returned from Paris French), my inherent dislike of the sort of puppets that consist of tiny bodies topped by human heads poked through a curtain (only Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, thank god), and beginning somewhat slowly, this was one of the strongest musicals we saw. The tunes were a bit catchy, the lyrics and dialogue were consistently funny, it had some good acting--I'd buy a soundtrack if I had spare cash.
Though it was entirely a comedy, I feel my Shakespeare!slasher friends should know that Hamlet! the Musical has Horatio and Ophelia played by the same person. AT LAST HAMLET CAN FIND REAL LOVE, VIA THE MAGIC OF DOUBBLING!
The Edge:
Intrepid Sailor Sam and I saw this one at his request. It had a good script, and was well acted, but it was nothing remarkable or new, I suppose? I really dislike the internet's appropriation of the term 'trigger' and the word 'triggery' to label anything slightly awkward or uncomfortable. A conversation you'd simply rather not have is not 'triggery,' and it insults people with actual problems and devalues the term to the point of uselessness to say so. This play's drawn-out, graphic reference to the incestuous rape of a young girl by her father and his friends could, however, be deeply uncomfortably for people who'd shared similar experiences, and could justify the term and the attendant warnings the internet is so fond of.
As such, though I wasn't myself offended, if I were producing this play I might have made clear in the description that this sort of thing was going to go down. Someone who was in a similar situation as a child could have been very disturbed and hurt. I'm not saying that really serious topics aren't a fit concern for art--of course they are. And a play could occasionally suffer from having to lay its matter on the table before the action brings you to the necessary revelations. Publicizing those aspects could also seem slightly sensationalist--as in 'come see our play, it has some crazy messed up shit like...'. But on balance, I think it might have been best (especially as this troupe was working with a charity for the prevention of violence to children) to protect victims of such violence by letting them know up-front that this is going to be a central topic of an intense play about teenagers committing suicide, staged in an incredibly intimate venue, and then letting them decide for themselves whether or not they're interested in seeing that.
Plague! the Musical:
While Hamlet was fun times, Plague! the Musical was somewhat weak. It had some good script moments and highish production values, and some poor singing. The anachronistic American-accented rats!! plot was a bit random, was was German!Death. The songs were generally rather forgettable, and the female lead a bit wet. I enjoyed the Undertaker Montage, the costumes were pretty nice, and the Undertaker Friend!Character was well-acted and fun. The revelation that the Pied Piper, previously boyfriend of Female Lead, was also her Uncle, and her father had been fighting with him all this time due to that, was more awkward than funny--wait so she's slept with her Uncle without knowing it? Er. Maybe that's kind of amusingly delivered, but also it's weird. And the BROTHERS ALL ALONG!! trope is as anemic as when it pops up in Sherlock Episode 1 with Mycroft.
