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Bloody Mess.
Text - Tim Etchells and the company.
Direction - Tim Etchells.
Design - Richard Lowdon.
Lighting Design - Nigel Edwards.
Production - Ray Rennie.
Cast - here .
Company - Forced Entertainment.
Venue - Tramway Theatre, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow.
Dates & Time - 12 & 13 Nov at 8:00pm.
Run Time - 2hrs 30 mins. No interval.
Reviewer - Ruth Mckee.
Highlighting the pretence of Theatre.
Well, there was no blood, but there certainly was a lot of mess. Water,
popcorn, sweets and tinsel littered the floor of Tramway 1: the disordered
aftermath of a glucose-fuelled children's party. Controlled chaos characterised
much of Friday night's performance. A cavorting gorilla, two bedraggled
clowns and bewigged rock roadies, lent the spectacle a distinctive Forced
Entertainment flavour.
Typically tongue-in-cheek, the company relentlessly parodied themselves,
their art and their audiences. The clowns' drooping painted faces, and
their constant bickering provides a comic insight into the warped dynamics
of a prolonged collaborative project. A wry comment perhaps, on the company's
own trials and tribulations over the past 20 years? Bloody Mess bombards
the audience with so much colour and action that meaning seems arbitrary,
unimportant.
Forced Entertainment revel in highlighting the pretence of Theatre. The
lighting exposes the bare back wall of Tramway 1 and leaks into the wings,
revealing the actors drinking beer and reading the newspaper. Bloody Mess
admits to consisting being a group of actors selfishly enjoying themselves
on stage, but who are prepared to bring the audience along for the ride.
This company have accumulated international acclaim over the past two
decades. A particular style of production and acting is now synonomous
with their work. One of the unfortunate side effects of this being the
expectations that audiences heap upon their performances. With acknowledgement
of past works such as Hidden J and 200% and Bloody Thirsty,
past preoccupations inevitably resurfaced in Bloody Mess. However new
faces in the company, and its gentle, mocking humour lends this latest
work a fresh energy.
Bloody Mess is a celebration of all that makes Forced Entertainment unique
in the world of British theatre. They are gradually bridging the gulf
between traditional text-based and emergent, innovative Live Art Theatre.
Happy birthday Forced Entertainment, and good luck for the next 20 years!
© Ruth Mckee 12 November 2004 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Cast Of Bloody Mess -
Robin Arthur, Davis Freeman, Wendy Houston, Jerry Killlick, Richard Lowdon,
Claire Marshall, Cathy Naden, Terry O'Connor, Bruno Roubicek and John
Rowley.
Tour Dates for Forced Entertainment's Bloody
Mess.
Tour begins
16 & 18 Oct at 8pm Lancaster Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster Uni 01524
594151.
21 & 22 Oct at 7:30pm Coventry Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524.
9 Nov at 8pm Brighton Gardner Arts Centre 01273 685 861.
12 & 13 Nov at 8pm Glasgow Tramway 0141 422 2023.
19 Nov at 7:30pm Aberystwyth Arts Centre 01970 62 32 32.
23 & 24 Nov at 8pm Manchester Contact Theatre 0161 274 0600.
26 & 27 Nov at 8pm Ireland Project Arts Centre, DUBLIN +353 (0) 1
881 9613/14.
9 & 11 Dec TBC Germany Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm, FRANKFURT +49 (0)
69/40 58 95 - 20.
3 &t 4 Dec at 7:45pm Sheffield Lyceum Theatre 0114 249 6000.
Tour Ends
Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is
thelma@edinburghguide.com
Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the
information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted
for any errors or omissions.
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