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Gaze: Lovin' Earth Tour 2009
Gaze/Laughing Horse Free Festival
Aptly named Gaze (think phonetically), these two musical-comedians are out to save the planet, person by person, song by song. Donning matching grey suits with black ribbons to highlight 'Death of the Earth Awareness Day', the pair look the part and for that matter act the part, but unfortunately too much of the humour in their set derives from their earth-saving angle and not from the comedian's mouth. Their songs are generally good, including the hilarious 'Bomb Iraq', but their spoken material is less consistent. There are some humorous moments in and amongst other material which isn't bad, but similarly isn't funny. If they managed to improve these links to complement their comical style and charisma, they might achieve more success.
Laughing Horse @ Meadow Bar, 6 - 17 Aug, 10.15pm (11.15pm), free, fpp53.
tw rating 2/5
[tp]
www.threeweeks.com
Rosa Waxes Lyrical
Creative Cat
If you are a bra-burning militant feminist of the '60s do not see this show: if you are anybody else, do. Rosa the Russian beautician does her best to persuade the audience that being folically challenged from the neck down will bring you success in life; that is when she is not talking about herself or name-dropping of course. She is joined by her faithful pianist who can only be described as having Tim Minchin's eyes, Bill Bailey's hair and Droopy Dog's expression, and who steals a proportion of the show. The material is very comical and Rosa has an excellent singing voice, but she lacks the immediate comic one-liners when she converses with the crowd. Egotistical, arrogant comedy.
Gilded Balloon Teviot, 5 - 26 Aug (not 18), 9.30pm (10.30pm), prices vary, fpp92
tw rating 4/5
[tp]
www.threeweeks.com
The Packed Lunch
C presents...
It's hard to review something that changes every day, but 'The Packed Lunch' aims to showcase highlights of children's shows across the festivals. Come rain or shine, performers take to the stage and act out selected scenes from their shows three times a day at eleven, one and three o'clock. It's worthwhile if you have some spare time and want to enjoy a drink, food or just rest while your children are entertained. As it is in the C Soco gardens, the setting is very informal, allowing you to arrive or leave whenever you want, making it useful if you want to see what is on offer. It's not scintillating theatre but you may get a free ticket to a show.
C Soco Urban Garden, 3 - 31 Aug, times vary, free, fpp 14.
tw rating 2/5
[tp]
www.threeweeks.com
Under Milk Wood
Youth Arts Leicestershire
In what's probably the most complete performance from young actors that I've seen at the Fringe, Dylan Thomas' radio play 'Under Milk Wood' is brought out of the ears and in front of the eyes. With such a poetic, dense and detailed script the production team relied heavily on visual effects; they created some ethereal characters with jackets and shackles, amongst other things, complementing the script with their swaying dances and providing an amphibious environment such as the ones found on dampened jetties with the set and technical effects. In fact it's the script which undermines the piece; although beautifully-worded, it flits around, barring the audience from connecting with the characters and leaving them wondering if it's about bugger all.
Quaker Meeting House, 24 - 29 Aug, 6.30pm (7.30pm), 7.00 (5.00), fpp236.
tw rating: 3/5
[tp]
www.threeweeks.com
Unfolding King Lear A Model
Incarnate
I have never read, seen or studied King Lear and my judgement of whether this this is a good or bad adaptation may be lacking somewhat, but what I can say is that it's very interesting. If you love or appreciate the nuances and subtleties of Shakespearian language it isn't for you, as the sole actor rushes through the play reading from a script, sometimes shouting, sometimes mumbling - reading to himself more than to the audience. However, he's surrounded by all manner of wonderful items which he uses to entertain and perplex, often with the intention of torturing himself, which keeps the audience on edge, trying to guess what will happen next and frankly, if they are quite safe.
The Vault, 25 - 21 Aug, 10.20pm (11.20pm), 5.00 (3.00), fpp236
tw rating: 3/5
[tp]
www.threeweeks.com
Still Waiting For Godot
Nod/nod
To bring a play as notorious as 'Waiting For Godot' to the public domain, you either have to cast two extremely respected actors or be very brave. Fortunately, nod/nod aren't just brave, they are brilliant. The acting is fantastic: each character had a vivid personality contrasting and conflicting with the others around him; their space was a toilet, where they exploited every nook and cranny for maximum effect; they tore at the script, modernising it, satirising it and most importantly having fun with it; and the imagery that they created with their blocking was beautifully powerful. They did exactly what needed to be done with a worn-out script: rejuvenated it into a new, exciting and enjoyable piece of theatre.
C Central, 25 - 31 Aug, 6.30pm (7.20pm), 5.00, fpp237.
tw rating 4/5
[tp]
www.threeweeks.com
Puppet Grinder Cabaret
Puppet Grinder/Little Angel Theatre
Even though the Fringe's unofficial motto seems to be 'anything goes!', I never expected to see a strip-dancing puppet with breasts that have a tendency to fall off, at the festival, or in my life. But the Puppet Grinder Cabaret, hosted by the northern, non-puppet, cheeky chappy that is Dave Gibson, have scoured Edinburgh for the more 'adult' puppet acts, which included on this particular night ('where Cheryl tapped the drum'; they name all their nights) a delightfully foul-mouthed history of Britain, a frog choking to death while swallowing a duster and the disgustingly horrific aforementioned stripper, Trixi. If you'd like see what you could have done when you had your hand up Sooty's bum, this is the kind of show you might like.
Assembly @ Georges Street, 6 - 31 Aug (not 17 or 24), 8.35pm (9.35pm), prices vary, fpp88.
tw rating 3/5
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