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Rating Guide
None = Unmissable
= Unwatchable
Check
out Carol's preview of the music at
this year's Fringe. And Colin's review of
Word
Kiss of the Spiderwoman
- Royal Holloway
Music School
Drams
Venue C (Venue 34)
Address Chambers St
Reviewer Thelma Good
This is a fairly good production of a somewhat awkward musical. Valentin
has been thrown into a Latin -American prison for activities against
the state. His cell mate, Molina, an imprisoned window dresser tries
to be friendly - for his own sake or is it to trade for an early release?
In prison, life is harsh, brutal and male. Molina introduces Valentin
to the films of Aurora, a 1920's film star, the scenes from her movies
punctuate and sometimes clearly parallel the story of Valentin and Molina's
confinement. The movie sequences do not enable the women in the cast
to show enough of a personality, reduced as they are to Busby Barclay
anodyne cutouts, and the dances were rather tame. It might be true to
the films of the time but I found it boring to watch, though others
in the audience clapped each routine enthusiastically. The large rostra
at the sides seemed to get in the way of the action rather than help
it raise new heights: I'd get rid of them.
The only film scene which really worked for me was the last one, which
instead of being yet another song and dance routine with Aurora and
her chorus, had a highly dramatic content. It was the prison scenes
and numbers which held the interest and central dramatic core of this
musical, and enabled the young men to show what they were capable of
dramatically. The male chorus worked well, with good movement and characterisation.
The central roles were movingly played by Antony Eden as Valentin, and
by Dom Kelly. Dom Kelly invested Molina with a witty, subtle and intriguing
performance which captivated the audience on the night I went. Shame
about the structure, which may have been aversely affected by having
to be cut down for the Fringe.
Until 27th.
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Craig
McMurdo
Drams
(Crackin')
Venue The Queens Hall (Venue 72)
Address Clerk Street
Reviewer Carol Francis
Craig McMurdo, purveyor of toothy fixed cartoon grin, big band swing and
infectious cheesy charm, slinks and winks and sparkles and croons his
way through a generous portion of my Grandad's collection of Andy Williams,
Ol' Blue Eyes et al in a most endearing fashion. Nobody could come along
and not know enough of these numbers to enjoy the show - many are even
helping advertise cars just now... He's not a gifted singer, but more
than adequate - but this isn't about divas anyway, it's more about style,
rhythm and feel-good factor, all of which he drips effortlessly. McMurdo
simply oozes confidence; the ingratiatingly smug persona is a cunning
fit to the genre he's adopted as he glints, shimmies and finger-snaps
all the way through to Mack the Knife. When he also insists on doling
out free tipple during the interval - and a raffle - you can't help feeling
he really does care whether or not you're having a good time! The band
are excellent; the backing singers (aptly named The Swingettes') were
a treat, particularly with the peachy if inevitable 'Boogie Woogie Bugle
Boy.' and the lounge layout of the hall was a lovely touch. If you want
a healthy alternative to paying thirty bar to get a crap view of Tony
Bennett, this is your man.
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Polly Phillips
Drams
Venue Pleasance (Venue 33)
Address 60 The Pleasance
Reviewer Carol Francis
A little bit jazzy and a little bit of a musical pot-pourri, I sit wondering
if local heroine Polly Phillips shops in exclusive boutiques for the very
best in notes, collects and stacks them tidily on crystal shelves at home,
later mixing and matching them to construct neat, clipped songs with nippy,
catchy hooks. Whether you consider her sophisticated or spiky, cool or
icy, there's no arguing Polly Phillips is a technically excellent singer.
No bum notes here; the voice is mood & pitch-perfect. This is no less
than you'd expect from a singing coach, and yet the just-so vocals can
occasionally risk sounding clinically sculpted.
The steely, pseudo-cutesie image is part of the style she's made her own
- dignified, controlled - someone not to be messed with, despite the deceptively
coy gurly nose-wrinkling. Pointy lyrics and vocal delivery soften up with
choice contributions from her splendid band, and some mid-song banter,
all of which add to the evening's tidy nature. A word to the wise here
though; nobody ever looked especially cool dancing around on stage twiddling
a sound-effects box. She finishes with a tasteful lounge rendition of
'The Boys are back in Town'. It's all classy goods, but all a little painstaking
and proper for my taste I'm afraid.
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Pulp*
Drams None; I was driving
Venue 77 The Corn Exchange
Address 11 Newmarket Road
Reviewer Carol Francis
When you're asked what your dream meal would consist of, and you start
drooling about lobster, crème anglaise and other such luxury goods, bear
in mind that many overlook the apparently humble, yet essentially religious
experience a toasted bacon sarnie with brown sauce can bring to your Sunday
hangover. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to a musical bacon
sarnie called Pulp.
King-of-hip corduroy TV & film theme tune-style numbers fuse with slick,
fizzy orange pop...theatrical pose after seductive image, leaping from
the grandiose and dark 'Hardcore' to "If anyone wants to exchange some
corns for a verruca, then see me after," Pulp are the crossroads of 'mainstream'
and 'complicated', which rarely gel as colourfully & deftly with as much
(yep, deliberate) humour. Rubber-limbed, elbow-jerking raconteur Jarvis
Cocker - who for a few surreal moments resembles the lovechild of Mick
Jagger and Marjorie the chicken - rates an alarmingly unexpected high
ten on the phoaaaar! scale, and is simply the frontman every band dreams
of.
There's a film screen backdrop. "I expect that'll be kitsch 60's and dance
stuff with a bit of psychedelia," predicts a nearby punter. Later, the
backdrop flicks through footage of kitsch 60's and dance stuff with a
bit of psychedelia - & flowers. The UK's nerdiest and least inhibited
dancers jostle with each other as you're blown away by the sheer classiness
of it all. OK, some of it's predictable, but then so's a bacon sarnie…done
just how you like it. *This review not suitable for vegetarians.
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Glenn
Tilbrook
Drams Just a wee
to say 'cheers'.
Venue Liquid Room (Venue 173)
Address 9 Victoria Street
Reviewer Carol Francis
Glenn Tilbrook looks and sounds just the same now as did when he fronted
Squeeze several moons ago, still writes quirky pop songs with kitchen-sink
suburban lyrics, and remains, as ever, an endearing cheeky cockney sparrah
who could pass for an off duty copper. His one-man show blends a few
covers, his own ditties and Squeeze hits, of which there loads more
than you realize you know. It's a testament to this band that despite
being quite a wordy bunch, so many people can still reel off most of
the lyrics. When he bounds up to the mike and kicks off his banter,
you imagine he's going to launch into a rendition of 'My Old Man's a
Dustman', and some of it is real Eastender sing-a-long stuff with a
few comic one-liners thrown in. Audience participation takes on a whole
new dimension as he lets some laddie up on stage to sing 'Cool for Cats'
for him after disclaiming it as Chris Difford's, then twenty more join
him later to sing one line each of Perfect Day.
He's an accomplished guitarist, playing some impressive R&B (as in the
old definition folks), his song-writing ability does not appear to have
waned, and he seems to still love what he does, staying fresh and energetic
through to the final encore. Incidentally, I can't remember any other
gig I've been to where, for an encore, the entire audience is singing
a riff (in this case, 'Black Coffee in Bed') rather than just shouting,
whistling and clapping. Now *that* really is respect! He more than made
up for my not managing to get to John Otway this year.
Highly entertaining - a real delight.
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Holly
Tomás
Drams
Well, it's a bit warm down there…
Venue The Tron. (Venue 9) It's a Scream
Address 9 Hunter Square
Reviewer Carol Francis
One of Edinburgh's residential 'must-see' artists, Holly also formed
a significant fifth of the highly successful Word (see Colin Donati's
review) and recently supported Glenn Tilbrook at the Liquid Room for
T on the Fringe. She's been one of the major figures in the local music
scene for a few years, and although has been lauded as the new Sarah
McLachlan, is to me more reminiscent of Joni Mitchell in her 'Blue'
period (ahem). Her songs are predominantly ponderous reflections upon
relationships; low-key mellow ballads, lightly peppered with chunky,
ballsy interludes, the icing on the cake being her wonderful voice.
It's fragile and sexy, vulnerable and powerful all at once, and although
I've seen Holly play a few times now, it never fails to make my skin
tingle. Her backing band support her ably with percussion, fiddle and
fuzz guitar (Lord knows how that one crept in) as she switches between
piano and guitar, lightly taking the piss out of her fellow musicians
now and then - see, it's not a serious or morose experience, honest
- and just generally being rather captivating.
Holly will be playing at the Tron for the next couple of weeks. If you
like your singers strong and sweet, make time to see her..........
(Run now ended.)
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RSAMD
Junior Academy Orchestra
Venue Central Hall
(Venue 100)
Address West Tollcross
Reviewer Pat Napier
The future of orchestral music is very healthy, if tonight's concert
is anything to go by. Under the baton of James Durrant, the RSAMD Junior
Academy Orchestra, all aglow with the joy of music-making, presented
the most polished, mature and assured programme and one which many professional
orchestras might envy.
From the opening brass fanfares of Suppé's overture Poet and Peasant
then Katy Bell's beautifully played solo cello melody, the orchestra
captured a thoroughly Viennese sound. Then followed John Barbirolli's
arrangement of 5 short Early Music pieces into An Elizabethan Suite
at a time when this music was very little known. All are for strings
except the last - The King's Hunt - which used 5 French horns to geat
effect and colour.
Aaron Copland's Dance Episodes from 'Rodeo' rollicked along with dramatic
changes from loud to soft, with well-known tunes and some impressive
folk fiddling in the Hoe-Down.
Vaughan Williams' much-revised and well-loved A London Symphony took
the audience through the whole gamut of emotions. From the long, lazy
introduction to the positively thrilling 1st movement, just crying out
for applause as it ended, the 2nd movement set a magical, misty, November
dusk mood with a beautiful oboe solo, reinforced by a gorgeous, unhurried
French horn then a haunting viola, all set against exquisite tutti.
The following Nocturne was along the lines of a Westminster Embankment
night out rather than a lullaby and the whole piece ended quietly, as
it began, but following on from a stately march interrupted by a brassy
Allegro supported by an outstanding percussion section.
It is very difficult to pick out highlights from this programme. Everything
was of the highest standard, the musicians disciplined and assured,
responding to their conductor with great professionalism yet full of
youthful joy and zest. They, like all the orchestras here, are capable
of taking on - and winning - any musical challenge.
The National Association of Youth Orchestras, presenting a total of
34 concerts, offers by far the biggest contribution to music at the
Fringe. The orchestras range from the East Renfrewshire Schools Symphony
Orchestra (making its first appearance) to the Cornwall Youth Jazz Orchestra.
And the music on offer ranges just as widely, with an impressive number
of modern compositions, some of which are specially commissioned. NAYO
works miracles "funding things out of the air..." from their inadequate
and modest subscription charges. Long may their sponsors enable them
to present such incomparable chances for the next generation of musicians,
I say!
For more information on NAYO see: http://www.nayo.org.uk
Runs till......2 September
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Neapolitan songs: See Naples and die... laughing
Venue Valvona & Crolla (Venue 67)
Address 19 Elm Row, Top of Leith Walk
Reviewer Pat Napier
Philip Contini (baritone), Anne Evans (piano) and Alison Stephens (Mandolin)
The now well-established Fringe venue in the incomparable Valvona &
Crolla delicatessen is offering a growing number and variety of shows
whose dates and times begin to resemble the Official Fringe brochure
itself.
Every year Philip Contini, the Managing Director and onetime chorister
under Arthur Oldham, puts together a show which is designed to bring
some aspect of Italian life before the eyes and ears of the world. For
Italophiles these are unmissable events.
This year, the songs of the family's native Naples are the backbone
of of an enticing mixture of music, story and very current Italian jokes.
The story of a young boy growing into manhood through the typical trials
and tribulations of adolescent love is delightfully supported by the
piano of Anne Evans and the very effective mandolin playing of Alison
Stephens.
Very cleverly, Philip Contini tells the story interweaving the description
of each song's text before singing it in Italian using humour, pathos,
exasperation and joy as appropriate. And in a very Italian way, gestures
and facial expressions play their part too. In the tiny V&C theatre,
nothing is lost.
These Neapolitan songs deserve to be more widely known outside Italy.
All are gems. This reviewer knew not one of them but her Italian fellow
theatre-goer confessed to great surprise at having forgotten so many
and been delighted at the revived memories.
The two encores, being the best-known of all Neapolitan songs, received
rapturous ovations.
For the best enjoyment, go early enough to have a marvellous Italian
meal beforehand or, at the very least, a glass ot two of wine from the
best selection in the UK. You won't be disappointed!
Runs till......Aug 21, 24, 26 at 20.00 (21:15) and Aug 28, 30, Sept
1, 2 at 13.00 (14:15).
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Whatever! The Musical
Drams Absolutely not needed!
Venue C (Venue 34)
Address Chambers Street
Reviewer Thelma Good
Musicals at the Fringe are rare, this one is exceptional.
The 22 cast and 12 musicians in the small theatre in the basement of
C Venue give you a West End production on a tiny stage and sometimes
on inline skates!
It starts in the 80s in an American high school where girls and boys
are finding out about each other. The cheerleader and the captain of
the football team are going steady - oops, not for long. But Dolores
is only one with a moustache! It's a show where the audience can audibly
react to the lines, and applauds every song. Not surprising as the action
and dance routines are worthy of Broadway.
The Whatever! creative team of writers and directors, Rob Evans and
Ben Lewis, composer, song writer and musical director Dafydd James without
newly joined Choreographer Mary Jane Nicholls brought us the superb
Hunting of the Snark last year which has since won awards including
The Cameron Mackintosh Award for Music in Theatre. There's real content
in this musical not fluff, but I felt like I'd been drinking champagne.
Their website gives you taster, www.cannedproductions.freeservers.com
It's on every day till 27th.
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