Festival Radio Project 2006 : Week Two Reviews |
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Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four Here are a selection of reviews of Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows, written by the participants of Week Two (7th - 11th August 2006) of Media Education's Festival Radio Project. REVIEW: The Butler Did It!?'The Butler Did It!?'Fringe Programme : Page 152 Venue: The Lot (Venue 24) Address : Grassmarket Reviewers : Feena and Leonora *** We chose to go see the ‘Butler Did It!?’ because it sounded original, it was still in with the theme of mystery. And being a murder one it left an air of intrigue in the plot- we could both try and solve the mystery as the play went on. It was a murder mystery with a hint of dark comedy. The venue was nice but nothing special. We went upstairs to the staging area. The show was set in an old manor, and the family were devastated by a murder. The show progressed giving the audience useful clues as to try and uncover the culprit, however certain witty plot twists and clever remarks would keep you guessing until the last possible moment. There were only a few other teenagers in the audience and many middle aged folk. The audience reacted as expected, laughing at jokes and gasping as the two gunshots were fired. REVIEW: Jesus, The Guantanamo Years'Jesus, The Guantanamo Years'Fringe Programme : Page 45 Venue: Smirnoff Underbelly (Venue 61) Address : 56 Cowgate Reviewers : Rebecca and Megan **** We picked Jesus, The Guantanamo years as it sounded very interesting and topical as Guantanamo bay and terrorist attacks have been very much in the news recently. It is a comedy but also has a very serious message about American policies and people's interpretation of the Bible. During the show, ‘Jesus’ talkes about his experiences on earth and his view on other Christians. He also has very serious points to make on the situation in Guantanamo Bay and the current US authorities. The audience mainly consisted of 20-40 year old adults although on the whole it was a mixed audience. The venue was full proving this to be a popular performance. The audience reacted well to the play and laughed frequently. I would definitely recommend the show to others as it is topical and interesting. Jesus, The Guantanamo Years is on Monday to Saturday until the 27th August at 1pm at the Smirnoff Underbelly. REVIEW: The Decameron Project'The Decameron Project'Fringe Programme : Page 159 Venue: C Venue (Venue 34) Address : Chambers Street Reviewers : Chris *** Even though I had never heard of Boccaccio's Decameron and had no idea what to expect, I came away having very much enjoyed the production and wanting to find out more. Set in 14th Century Italy, the play follows a group of friends feeling plague-ridden Florence in an attempt to escape the highly contagious and fatal disease. Along the way they seek safety in their friendship and cameraderie, and entertainment or distraction in storytelling. The tales they tell each other and act out, touch on many aspects of life, including love, sex, betrayal and death, and are correpondingly comic or tragic. The staging was very basic, with only a number of polystyrene blocks, moved by the cast, to suggest walls, tables, and a cross, but this ensured that the focus remained on the characters and the words, rather than the scenery or special effects. The audience was small but it was appreciative of the efforts of the engaging student cast, to bring some of the stories from Boccaccio's work to life. Although the play was written and takes place so long ago, the stories are familiar and speak to any era, and the theme of the ever-present spectre and threat of the plague finds echoes today in terrorism, famine and poverty. REVIEW: Automated Housewives'Automated Housewives'Fringe Programme : Page 20 Venue: Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) Address : The Pleasance Reviewers : Rebecca and Megan ** and a half We picked the show Automated Housewives as it sounded like a funny, lighthearted comedy for our first show. The venue, the Pleasance Hut, was nice and intimate with original two-person chairs. The show was set in a radio recording studio and during a live performance of the Automated Housewives. They provided a running commentary of whom in the world of celebrity was 'automated'. The characters were obviously trying to impress each other, which provided a funny twist. There was audience participation and those asked questions received dish sponges, which was in tune with the theme of the housewife. The audience was mainly middle-aged. There was a mixed reaction to the show, with some liking it and others not being impressed. I would recommend the show to an older audience but those of a younger age wouldn't find this show as interesting. The show is on daily at 1pm until the 27th of August at the Pleasance Courtyard. We give the show two and a half stars out of five. REVIEW: The Romeo And Juliet Syndrome'The Romeo And Juliet Syndrome'Fringe Programme : Page 201 Venue: Smirnoff Underbelly (Venue 61) Address : 56 Cowgate Reviewers : Rebecca and Megan **** The Romeo and Juliet Syndrome is a play about, essentially, love. It is told through the eyes of many different people and explains how love can happen when you least expect it. The play is a mix of theatre and comedy, which could be difficult to execute but I think that the ‘lets get ‘em ensemble’ executed this really well. They carried it off with style and drama, producing a play which was not only easy to follow but also very enjoyable! The Iron Belly is a great venue for this kind of performance because it seems to be confused as to its purpose. Is it a distillery or a theatre? This fitted accordingly to the play because it was caught between genres. The actors used audience participation in this play really well to illustrate how someone could fall in love and also how the heart can be broken. The show had an element of uniqueness in it because they had part of the cast pretending to be the audience. They had actors posing as a reporter and an audience member who eventually joined in with the acting made you feel included in the show. The audience was made up of mostly younger people, with some exceptions. They all seemed to really enjoy the play and came away looking very elated and content. The venue was quite full for an amateur performance, so I think that it was quite popular. The audience laughed lot when the comedy performance was going on, and were gripped throughout the dramatic scenes. I would recommend this performance to anyone who enjoys cheerful plays with some humour and a serious storyline. Anyone of any age could enjoy this performance. It is well scripted and the movement on stage was well choreographed. We would give this show: four little hearts out of five... REVIEW: Grow Up'Grow Up'Fringe Programme : Page 38 Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) Address : 13 Bristo Square Reviewers : Florence and Emma ***** Grow up is a comical show written and performed by Anna O'Grady, Alastair Roberts, Tom Sharpe, Tom Williams, Tom Kingsley and their lighting person, Patrick Hartley. Grow Up is lots of different comedy sketches, all very original and funny. We picked Grow up because it looked funny and younger people were perfomring, so we though it would be really enjoyable. There was a great atmosphere as the venue was absolutely packed! We felt we could relate to some of the characters and we were grateful that we were allowed to see the show. The jokes were amusing and the characters were interesting and different. The audience enjoyed it thoroughly and everyone was joyful at the end of the show. Everything was well organised and props were well used. There were no faults in the lighting and wonderful effects were used with the images projected onto the wall behind. There were some swear words in it, but all were not used innappropriately. We would not suggest this show to younger children because they may not understand the jokes and there is mild swearing. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and give Grow Up five stars! REVIEW: The Eggman'The Eggman'Fringe Programme : Page 32 Venue: Smirnoff Baby Belly (Venue 88) Address : The Caves, Niddry Street South Reviewers : Matthew, Gabriel and Ed ***** The Eggman is a one-man show where the performer - a very talented man - plays seven very different characters with one thing in common: they are all the same height. The setting in the vaults of the Smirnoff Baby Belly gives a close and intimate feel to the performance. The idea behind the show was very clever as are a lot of show concepts on the Fringe, but unfortunately he concentrated more on character acting and trying to put over some kind of moral message (the nature of which was never made clear) which is never a good idea on a comedy show, than trying to make good jokes. A lot of the humour was a little forced and I felt the audience was laughing to be nice rather than genuinely finding it all that funny. On the other hand the acting was exceptional and the characters were generally very well observed, though the character of the woman hotel worker who appeared to have Tourrette's Syndrome was quite weak and potentially offensive. On the whole the performance was well executed, but at the expense of good jokes. We gave Eggman three stars REVIEW: Sister Mary McArthur: Celebrity Nun'Sister Mary McArthur: Celebrity Nun'Fringe Programme : Page 69 Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) Address : Bristo Square Reviewers : Florence and Emma **** Sister Mary McArthur: Celebrity Nun is a comical and musical show written by Tim McArthur and performed by Tim McArthur (Sister Mary McArthur) along with James Adler (Brother Matthew). It is Sister Mary telling her life story using songs and props and songs. We picked Celebrity Nun because it looked funny and there were some good reviews about it. The venue was a great venue as the Gilded Balloon is a very friendly building and there was a great atmosphere. We felt, being a young audience, that Sister Mary McArthur was just as enjoyable as it would have been for someone older. The jokes were very funny and they used props well to add even more humour. The piano playing was very high quality and the singing was very skilful. The lighting was very good and the costumes were amazing. They advertised their show well and the songs were well chosen. We liked the fact that there was some audience participation and some lovely homemade flap-jack. We really enjoyed Sister Mary McArthur: Celebrity Nun and would recommend it to anyone over the age of 11. We give it four stars REVIEW: Iron Brew'Iron Brew'Fringe Programme : Page 176 Venue: Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14) Address : 13 Bristo Square Reviewers : Florence and Emma * Iron Brew is a comical show written by Sam Snape and performed by Victoria Johnston (Trish) and Hayley Rudd (Susie). The show is about two girls who have been best friends for years, and they have now drifted apart. We picked Iron Brew because of the title but we were led on and it actually didn’t have much to do with the drink. The venue was a great venue as the Gilded Balloon is a very friendly building and there was a great atmosphere inside. We felt, being a young audience that Iron Brew wasn’t very satisfactory and we found the plot quite depressing. We also found the plot confusing and the actresses frequently changed the mood of the character, which meant the audience struggled to keep up with what was happening. There weren’t many people in the audience, which shows they need to possibly improve their commercial skills and publicise their show more. We think that their staging was terrible at some points because they were blocking each other. At some points the pauses were too long and the audience was waiting, where as they could and should be on the edge of their seats. The use of swear words was inappropriate, we felt. We give Iron Brew one star REVIEW: The Real Inspector Hound'The Real Inspector Hound'Fringe Programme : Page 200 Venue: Roman Eagle Lodge (Venue 21) Address : 2 Johnston Terrace Reviewers : Feena and Leonora *** and a half We chose this show because we decided on the theme of mystery. The times and days were perfect too. It just overall looked good. It was under the Theatre genre and was a murder mystery like no other. It was quite an old building. We had to climb a long winding staircase to get to the staging area. A lady took our tickets and then we went into a dark room with about seven rows of seats. There was a staging area, with big black curtains. The show was set in 1968. The plot was an escaped madman on the loose, police announcements detailing his whereabouts were given via radio throughout the show. The description fitted perfectly to the character Simon (Paul Barrand) to mislead the audience to think that Simon was the madman. Other characters include the Major Magnus (Jim Levi/Richard Damarell) who is confined to a wheelchair, Felicity (Rachel Ross-Trevor) and Lady Cynthia (Viv Beckett). There wasn’t many seats but they were almost full. The audience age group was around Early 20’s to mid 30’s. The audience laughed at all the jokes, which is always a good sign. We would definitely go and see it again because it was quite confusing and I would probably understand it better the second time around. We would recommend it to anyone over thirteen. We would give this play 3 and a half stars. REVIEW: Honk!'Honk!'Fringe Programme : Page 139 Venue: C Venue (Venue 34) Address : Chambers Street Reviewers : Feena and Leonora **** We chose to go see Honk because it sounded amusing, we both enjoy musicals and it was based on the ‘Ugly Duckling’, the well-known classic tale. The Venue was pretty big. There was a separate area with a bar and leather couches. We went into the foyer, then headed downstairs to the staging area. It was simply a large room with plush red seats. It was set on a farmyard. Proud parents Drake and mother Duck, had just hatched four eggs. The first three were some extremely cute baby chicks. However the fourth was the runt of the litter, and named Ugly, he was teased by his siblings. Despite warnings from his mother Ugly escapes one day with a cat, who plans to eat him. Luckily he flees to safety and encounters many magical, mysterious creatures on the way including frogs and geese. You probably know the ending but I won’t spoil the surprise! There was a wide variety of ages in the audience. Many seemed to enjoy the show, if all the hoots of laughter in the front row were anything to go by! I would recommend the show to others but only a younger age group perhaps six to eleven as they would love the colourful costumes. I would go see the show again if I got the chance but only once more as it didn’t have much re-watch value. The show is on every day at 12:45 from now until August 28th. Overall we give this show four stars. REVIEW: Othello'Othello'Fringe Programme : Page 195 Venue: Venue 45 (Venue 45) Address : Old St. Paul's Church Hall, Jeffrey Streete Reviewers : Julie and Heather **** We really liked the show it was well performed and very interesting. We picked this show because the people who promoted it made it sound exciting (and it was!) The show is a theatre production. The venue was an ok size but inside the theatre was quite hot. The actors made a good use of the space, like a table represents a dining room and a box with a pillow on a box represents a bedroom. When the actors were off stage they just blended into the background instead of taking up a lot of space. This is a Shakespeare play and those can often be hard to perform, but this group of teenagers made it look easy. It is a bitter love story with lots of action and passion! The audience were of different ages the youngest being around 14. I would recommend this show to anyone who likes Shakespeare and wants to see a really good show. We wouldn’t see it again but it is worth seeing .The show is at 1:10 at venue 45. We would give it 4 stars. REVIEW: Imagine I Am Smiling'Imagine I Am Smiling'Fringe Programme : Page 175 Venue: Smirnoff Baby Belly (Venue 88) Address : Cowgate, Edinburgh Reviewers : Rebecca ***** We picked Imagine I am Smiling as its review in the fringe guide sounded interesting. The venue was the old tenement caves of the Cowgate which was very different and a somewhat spooky setting, but certainly created a good atmosphere. The show is set in a train station throughout the night on a station bench. It begins with two women on the bench and one of them, June, strikes up a conversation with the other woman, April. There is an obvious awkward feeling from April at the idea of talking to this stranger, which comes across well. Later the final character May arrives, late as she slept in. She recognises June and this provides a good link between characters. The play carries on through the night and portrays how complete strangers can interact. It is a fascinating play about human relationships, and shows that even when the three characters are completely different they still keep each other company. There were lots of people in the audience ranging from young adults to older generations. The audience reacted well and laughed frequently showing that they enjoyed the play. I would definitely recommend the play to others as I really enjoyed it and I think all most people would too. The show is on daily at 2.45pm until the 27th August at the Smirnoff Baby Belly. REVIEW: Breakfast Bedlam, Live!'Breakfast Bedlam, Live!'Fringe Programme : Page 24 Venue: Smirnoff Underbelly (Venue 61) Address : Cowgate, Edinburgh Reviewers : Gabriel *** The main idea behind “Breakfast Bedlam, Live!” is that it is a satirical take on Saturday morning kids T.V and with a ditzy blonde female presenter; a spurned actor male presenter; a stressed, mean and cynical director and a lot of double standards in the production it would seem like this would be a success. And at the beginning of the show it seems to be hitting all the right spots with some very well observed jokes on the nature of kid’s T.V production including amongst others a section on how much damage dwarves can take, and some unexpected advertisements such as the Countryside Alliance-“Because the gentry knows best”. However as the show progressed the former scathing satire falls down to make way for a series of crude jokes and unbelievable situations, such as the health and safety officer being wired up with a bomb. This show, whilst having an interesting premise and well thought out characters sadly lacks stamina and cannot keep up the good quality of observational comedy and falls back on cheap jokes and contrivance. REVIEW: Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather'Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather'Fringe Programme : Page 154 Venue: Blueside (Venue 103) Address : Pilrig Church Reviewers : Ken and Alastair *** This is a tale of ‘The Godafather’ except this time it uses Shakespeare language, so you can obviously see where the name came from. This is basically ‘The Godfather’ story except with some minor changes, bearing in mind that it is Shakespeare! For instance, instead of using guns they used knives. The heading that this show is put under is theatre. The venue where you can see this show is Blueside, Pilrig Church based in Leith Walk. Since it was being done in such a small hall, there were only a few people, but they seemed to enjoy it, and they did react well. I would definitely go and see this show again, as it brought a lot of suspense which I like to see. This show was definitely in ‘Godfather Style’ and it has been really clever how they have managed to do this, but also incorporate some type of Shakespeare language into it. The producers of this show have done a grand job! Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather is on at the following times at Blueside; Pilrig Church (Fringe Venue 103) 10TH AUGUST- 20:30 12TH AUGUST – 16:30 Each show lasts for 1 hour and 10 minutes We hope you enjoy this show as much as we have. We would give this show an overall rating of 3 stars! REVIEW: Caviar and Chips'Caviar and Chips'Fringe Programme : Page 154 Venue: Smirnoff Baby Belly (Venue88) Address : Cowgate, Edinburgh Reviewers : Julie and Heather **** This show is fun, fast and exciting, and it kept the audience watching. We choose this show because the woman in the street promoted it to us so well it made us want to see it! And it sounded very good. The show was a comedy. The venue was strange but unique, it was an old looking cave with the occasional drip of water landing on someone’s head. It’s the most interesting venue we’ve been in. Three girls perform playing eight different parts. The scenes were a smooth running from one to another. The radiance was included but in the sense that the performers were in a show. The show was aimed at about 16 and up and we’re 14 so it was ok for us at a push (If you are our age don’t see it with your parents!!!) I would recommend it to anyone of those ages. The show was at the baby belly 2 at 3:45 for 45 minutes. We would give it 4 stars! REVIEW: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'Fringe Programme : Page 11 Venue: C Central (Venue 54) Address : North Bridge, Edinburgh Reviewers : Julie and Heather **** We thought the show was very entertaining but quite scary for children. We picked this show because we wanted to do a section on children’s shows. Also it sounded interesting. It is a children’s fantasy show. The venue was quite small and cramped. It was annoying when we were queueing for tickets and waiting to get in as everyone was squashed together. In the theatre you were very close to the performers and the rest of the audience but it did add a scary effect to the performance, bein so close. The show is about four children who move house to the country because its set during the second world war. The children discover a land at the back of a wardrobe, one of them gets captured by the evil Queen but in the end the children save the land and are crowned kings and queens of the country. We found that in the show a girl played Aslan and he is supposed to be a male lion but I thought it was a nice touch for the show. The audience weren’t part of the play they were just there to watch. We would recommend the show probably to people ages eight plus. I don’t think I would see it again because once is enough and I enjoyed it while it lasted. The show was on at ten in the morning (which is a bit earlier for us teenagers) but fine for children. It was at venue fifty-four the Carton hotel. We would give it a four star rating.
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