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| Edinburgh : A&E : Theatre: Reviews |
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Theatre listings > Beautiful Anger - World
Premiere. A highly original devised piece which seeks to take a honest look at this most warlike of emotions. The premise is an intriguing one, as are the techniques by which anger is explored. An intense illustration of the 'anger scale' from 0 to 10 is absolutely hilarious at times, and climaxes in a performance of awesome passion. An impressive level of energy is present throughout, as the three performers coax a vivid portrait of anger into the compact, almost dungeon-like set, with murky brown backdrop. 'Scientific' explanations of anger are dismissed from the outset, in favour of raw and intense demonstration. The wheeled cages are used to great effect as they, by turns, confine and protect their occupants. An interesting attempt at riling the audience culminates in an audience member being singled out and her anger analysed on the flipchart. It's potentially a brilliant technique, slightly let down by the fact that the audience is too embarrassed at being the focus of attention to be angry at all. The result is farcical comedy. The piece as a whole tends to err on the side of comedy, presumably in
a desire to remain entertaining. This is understandable, and the performance
is extremely watchable and often very funny. It makes for a strong contrast
with the more sombre scenes where there is no talking at all. Interestingly
these are the scenes which are the most effective in conveying anger in
its full mysterious complexity. A solemn and striking homage to anger
sees the stage slowly filled with lit candles. It is exquisitely engaging
and a subtle, beautiful display of the destructive nature of anger, each
candle signifying the death of dignity and of friendship. Theatre listings >
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