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The Chaingang Gang
- Tour & Scottish Premiere.
Devised by - Cartoon de Salvo.
Director - Alex Murdoch.
Designer - Becky Hurst.
Lighting Designer - Matt O'Connor.
Music & Sound Designer - Craig Byrne.
Lyrics - Brian Logan.
Company - Cartoon de Salvo (resident at The Riverhouse Walton-on-Thames
produced by Your Imagination
Email - cartoondesalvo@yourimagination.org.
Cast - here .
Seen to review at Traverse Theatre on 12 June 2004.
Reviewer - Thelma Good.
Five go wild in chalk scenery.
Keeping it simple - chaining your five actors together, costuming them
in Japanese designer style prison uniforms with deep pockets to hold chalk
and few props with a black backdrop - lets the five go wild in changing
chalk scenery.
When the audience enters they are already on stage chained together. The
expectantly smiling man on one end is alert and aware, to his right is
a small woman whose next chained companion may be nuturing an interest
in her. Then there's a bloke with no hair and at the other end a second
woman a little put out at her linked attachments - she's just been made
Library Monitor. She's the only reluctant one, the rest are willing members
of the escape.
Once out on the outside there's a a bit of a problem, they're still linked
together and they remain that way through desert trek, jungle rumble and
icy shiver. Early on they each get something to help them in the journey
to individual freedom. It's one where they have to co-operate as the chains
bind them together. An all action, dramatic gang blast of acting taking
you into an wild and imaginatively mad world, with some tender, slow moments,
physical comedy, feel good songs with fitting lyrics sung by the cast
and the ghastly encounter with the ruthless prison chief Waddington.
Great stuff this, theatre for all making you smile and leaving you wishing
for more. If you're keen on Improbable Theatre or Tales Told By An Idiot
look out for this one, like those companies Cartoon de Salvo refreshes
those important areas of the human soul too few companies reach.
© Thelma Good 12 June 2004. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Cast - Craig Byrne, Joanna Holden, George Keeler,
Brian Logan and Sophie Russell.
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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