For those with little knowledge of Hungarian dance-based theatre, Artus stands for perfection, which they have proven again with intriguing choreography and well-rounded performances from all involved. This is not their first visit to the Fringe, in 1999 they were shortlisted for a Total Theatre Award with Turul.
Chinvat is a truly captivating production, bursting with lyricism and humour. A definite must see!
Runs until 24 August (not Mondays) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 9 August 2002
www.artus.hu



The Colour of Love (page 61)
Drams
Venue The Columcille Centre (Venue 141)
Address 2 Newbattle Terrace
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Do you wish to delve into the depths of a woman's heart and find the secrets hidden there? Do you yearn to know what colour love is? If you do, you will not find it in this show. Janis Mackay's and Elena Orbegozo Bieda's presentation of the snippets of love poetry by various distinguished authors, and accompanied by live music and dance, contains some fine tunes and images. Still, it can hardly be called theatre.

The performers describe their work as an exploration of the creative space between speech and eurythmy. And do not be mistaken, there are glimpses of something inspirational and pure in their presentation. However, the beauty of poetry is muted by embryonic choreography, and the performers' inability to turn their act into a truly organic experience.

This can only be taken as the work in progress, and there is many a mile still to go until one witnesses the final product.
© Ksenija Horvat 17 August 2002 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs until 30 August


Dancescapes III (page 62)
Drams
Venue The Garage, (Venue 33)
Address Grindlay Court Centre, Grindlay Street
Reviewer Garry Platt

UNLV, The University of Nevada Las Vegas have become a regular feature on the Fringe and the students who come such a distance to deliver their show clearly have a commitment and passion for their art. This years offering however falters lacking a consistency of innovation or engagement in the numerous pieces which are offered.

I feel the opening set; ‘Baggies’ whilst different, (the dancers are hidden inside stretchy bags of bright material) it is never really fully exploited and consequently its like watching a young bird who is learning to fly it gets off the ground for a few seconds but can’t maintain the momentum and then crashes back down to earth

The final piece of the show choreographed by Lewis Kavorus gives us what we want a beautifully balanced piece with flowing shapes, clever forms and a great vehicle for these student’s talents.

I never like giving a poor or mediocre review but alas this show never gets much above half way.

Runs Until 26 August not 12 or 19
© Garry Platt, 04 August 2002

Derevo - La Divina Commedia (page 62)

Drams None
Venue Assembly Big Top
Address Edinburgh Academic Sports Centre, Raeburn Place
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

I don't' know whether I should say that postmodern theatre has come to Russia, or that Russia, because of its history of censorship, has had a tradition of postmodern ambiguity, fragmentation and irony that precedes our new western sophisticated postmodern art forms. In any event this is a stunning spectacle. Whether or not it has any consistent references to Dante, I don't know and I don't care. This was a roller coaster of spectacle, utterly engaging, confounding in meaning, yet so satisfying. Do I care if there is no linear narrative? No! Does life really progress from cause to effect. No? This is a series of experiences, gripping, profound, and ultimately stimulated by the visual input of actors with a dedication to what they are exhibiting and the consummate stage presence that carries us along. Why should spectacle be denigrated? This is spectacle that grabs you and taps you on the shoulder three days afterwards and says: 'Think about me! I'm still here and I'm not going to go away. Don't you think you should ask some questions about the meaning of life'.

Like Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky, this latest piece from Devero it is utterly serious about the human condition. But the spectacle, and it is a spectacle of people, disparate, incompatible, conjoining because they must, aggravating, terrifying, like a mediaeval carnival of insanity is just so compelling. I was on the edge of my chair throughout: with utter fascination for the action and the performances. This is a great piece of theatre. Can we have more of it, please?

Until 25 Aug (not 14) 22.00 (1 hr).
© Jackie Fletcher

Doodrock (page 62)
Drams
Venue Gateway (Venue 7)
Address Elm Row
Reviewer Neil Ingram

It's loud and showy, but there's a lot more to Doodrock than just drumming. Driven along by a fusion of traditional Korean drumming and a variety of jazz and rock styles, this is really a very varied dance show, with dramatic action and moments of humour. The group of 9 performers start conventionally enough with a massive array of fairly standard drum kits, but later they move onto larger Korean drums, oildrums, kitchen utensils and other everyday items.

While the drums left an impact on my hearing, the dancing made a visual impression, and I particularly liked the corps of tap-dancing policemen. Watch out also for some very classy hairdressers, and be prepared to join in when the conductor organises the audience to provide their own percussion effects.

If you like a variety of modern dance and loud music, this is for you, but if you're bored by drum solos and the like, maybe you should give it a miss. But if you do, you'll also miss a fascinating and unique show that left me with some stunning visual and aural memories.

Runs until 26 August at 19.00, not 14th
Company- Doodrock Productions
© Neil Ingram 9 August 2002

Drip (page 63)

Drams Just a glass of tap water
Venue C (34)
Address Chambers Street
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

This is an extremely enjoyable show. Its cast of Lecoq-trained actors are utterly superb. But it's not just a delight in the invention and the movement that grabbed me. This is a show about the scarcity of water, and while communities in the third world often find themselves without decent drinking water, the community of Cracker Valley in America is embroiled in a competition to save water during their annual heat wave and drought. The winners get their picture on the front page of a local newspaper. The diversely comic inhabitants of one tenement are determined to get their picture in the paper, and go to extreme lengths to inhibit their use of the live-giving substance, and suffer, over a period of several weeks. But one inhabitant, the nerdy Ben, is still taking baths in spite of his co-habitués considerable sacrifices. As their levels of water usage rises, they set out to discover the culprit committing the crime of taking a bath. There is so much fun and invention in this show I was utterly delighted. It's not thick on plot, but who needs that when you are satirizing individuals willing to forgo washing and drinking water for the sake of a moment of fame. They do get their moment in the press, the national press and TV, but not as they had expected it.

The beauty of this performance is in the grotesque characterisation through costume and movement. The consummately precise timing and ensemble work is just invigorating to watch. It is an international cast brought together through their training and I hope they will continue to work together. They were all superb, all the actors gave utterly compelling performances, but I must single out Max Dana, who took the lead as the nerdy Ben, and still became a nerdy hero, in a performance of magnificent versatile comedy. Highly recommended.

Until 25 Aug (16.00) Running time 1.15mins
© Jackie Fletcher

Fallen (page 63)

Drams none, absolutely superb!
Venue St Stephens/Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 8)
Address St Stephen Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

What do you do in the presence of divine creative inspiration but bow reverently in admiration?

Fallen is one of the most profoundly moving, thought-provoking and humorous shows that you will see at this year's Fringe. With its sublime blend of live and recorded music, voice-over, innovative choreography, and the set design that is bursting with metaphorical richness, Fabrik Potsdam's most recent collaboration with American choreographer Jess Curtis is a mesmerising study of linguistic and physical concepts of falling. Riveting in its sensuality, spirituality and poetics, which are reminiscent of Wenders' The Wings of Desire, this is a show about trust and human relationships, about fragility of human life, about letting go of one's fears, expectations and aspirations, and about allowing oneself to find the ultimate beauty in just being human.

Fallen is intriguing, magnetic and irresistible. It will make you ponder upon your own life; it will trigger emotions and memories that you thought were long gone. You must see this show.
Runs until 24 August (not 12, 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 13 August 2002
Fabrik Potsdam www.fabrikpotsdam.de

First Love (page 63)
Drams
Venue The Zoo Venue (Venue 124)
Address Kirk O'Field Parish Church, 140 The Pleasance
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

One of Act Provocateur International's three offerings to this year's Fringe is an intriguing tale of love and loss by Victor Sobchak (who also scripted The Witch), inspired by Beckett. And a true little gem it is indeed. A young tramp (Andy McQuade) meets a prostitute (Iaione Perez) and from a chance meeting first love is born. But can its purity survive the cruelty and perversity of the world around them?

First Love is a show that perfectly blends technical simplicity with first-rate acting, and its poignant imagery will leave you reeling and crying for more. Smell, touch and taste are at its very core - it explores all human senses and emotions through intense relationship between its protagonists. Though well scripted, the production is at its strongest when it abandons dialogue and allows movement and images to speak for themselves. This show is a must see, a true treat of physical theatre at its best and most genuine. It contains some nudity, so leave your kids at home.

Runs until 17 August © Ksenija Horvat 5 August 2002
company Act Provocateur International www.art-vic.net

Ful (page 63)
Drams
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (Venue 8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

From its beginning, Ful, by Spanish company Nats Nus Dansa, promises to be an exciting and memorable Fringe experience. Five monoliths, five performers, a lot of passion, and a succession of stunning visual images make up this chaotic mysterious world of emotions. Five people pass by each other, meet, form relationships and depart. Various human sensations are explored through movement: seduction, love, hate, rejection, loss.

This production is characterised by ingenious use of lighting, shadows and video technology, and highly rhythmical movement that finds as much of its inspiration in the Spanish tradition as in contemporary dance. Members of Nats Nus Dansa troupe prove to be both accomplished dancers and exquisite actors, juxtaposing their dance routines with trilingual (English, Spanish and Catalan) comic sketches.

Ful is visually mesmerising, emotionally engaging and highly entertaining. Still, one might feel, at certain moments, that there is a scope to develop the movement further, to push it to the edge. At the moment the work is, choreographically speaking, still being made, yet to achieve its perfect voice.
Runs until 23 August (not 12, 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 10 August 2002

The Government Inspector (page 64)

Drams None
Venue The Pleasance (33)
Address 60 The Pleasance
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

If you have already savoured the sensual delights of movement-based theatre then Theatre de L’Ange Fou’s The Government Inspector must not be missed. If you are not familiar with aforementioned pleasures, then here is a good opportunity to titillate your palate.

This is not so much a piece of physical theatre (an inadequate umbrella term for a wide diversity of styles) as a visual and aural melange of satisfying textures: colour, lighting, sound, music and text are vibrantly fused through movement both sublime and grotesque. L’Ange Fou’s adaptation of Gogol’s witty and mischievous tale of small-town corruption. Is a performance of imagination, verve and panache, in which a passing, and penniless, young man is mistaken for a high-ranking government employee come to hold civic dignitaries responsible for their misdemeanours. He is fêted by the citizens, seduced by their wives, and, in one magnificently orchestrated vignette, they form a never-ending, snake-like progression vying to hand over their banknotes. The company’s strength lies in their ensemble work and their rigorous training. One must admire the co-ordination and precision with which they present a tableau of anarchy.

The magnificent brass bedstead, table and chair, all on wheels, fulfil a multitude of functions; at one point the bed becomes a boxing ring on which, to classical music of solemnity and pathos, the mayor and the young man act out a boxing contest in delightful, comic slow motion symbolically embodying an antagonism invisible on the hypocritical surface of social niceties. The company of actors from a variety of nationalities train in the school of mime corporal devised by Etienne Decroux , who was inspired by the rejection of ‘literary’ theatre in Paris in the ‘20s. Decroux worked with most of the famous personalities in French theatre before setting up his own school.

This company, now internationally renowned, is passing on a long-standing French tradition of movement-based theatre with considerable versatility in style. Happily, they have opened up a school in London, which might, in time, add a new dimension to our own theatre provision. But, if you can’t join up for their course, at least go and enjoy the latest work. You’ll want to join up immediately afterwards. It’s a feast for the senses. It is invigorating, life-enhancing theatre. And when they come on for their curtain call, sweating from their exertions, do what audiences do on the continent: cheer and whistle and shout “Bravo!”

Runs until 26 except 7, 13, 20 Aug.
© Jackie Fletcher

Into the Antiworld (page 64)
Drams
Venue George Square Theatre (Venue 37 )
Address George Square
Reviewer Daniel Winterstein

Into the Antiworld is a physical theatre piece with an unusual subject: the discovery of anti-matter by physicist Paul Dirac in the 1920s. It both delights and disappoints. Musically and visually, it is great, but it lacks the courage to properly tackle its subject matter. Anyone hoping for insight or understanding into either the physics or the mind of Paul Dirac will go unsatisfied. Instead we get a series of images inspired by the idea of anti- matter, with a minute drop of science history.

The tone is often ethereal (floating thoughts, Dirac kneeling before the cosmos) but the pace is quite lively, and there are some emotionally rich pieces. An electron and a positron dance a dance of restrained passion which manages to be sensual without the dancers ever touching. Opposites are a recurring theme with shadow and light used to great effect. The set is elegant but interesting. Giant cloth sheets create a changeable space in which the performers move. The music, created by The Boulouris Quintet, is appropriately strange and wonderful. They play tangos in an original style that fuses jazz and classical. All in all, it is enchanting, but not enlightening.
© Daniel Winterstein, 25th August 2002. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs until 25 August
Company - Mimescope

Kammerajäger/Die Versuchung - Temptation/Roach Motel (page 64)
Drams
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (Venue 8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Company Drift's production is a two-piece show that portrays a peculiar eccentric world of strange beings. In Roach Motel, the death lurks in the shadows (or is it just the motel's janitor exterminating the pests?), while in Temptation, gnomes wait and listen in a burnt-down cellar of a theatre building. Both pieces are energetic and humorous explorations of the absurdities of modern everyday life by means of repetitive and, at times, mechanical or animal-like movement.

After a while, one may begin to ask oneself what exactly is the purpose of it all. Well, perhaps it is reflected in the company's very name; perhaps the only purpose is to allow the audience to drift between different images to which they can attach their own personal meanings. Though sometimes the repetitiveness of movement and images may seem to drag its heels, this work is intriguing enough to keep your undivided attention.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, the fact remains that, though it may not challenge your worldview, this show makes an easy viewing. It is very funny and utterly offbeat. There is a fifteen-minute intermission to allow a set change.
Runs until 24 August (not 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 15 August 2002

Luma: Theatre of Light (page 65)
Drams
Venue George Square Theatre (venue 37)
Address George Square, Edinburgh
Reviewer Caitlin O'Hanrahan

The simplest ideas are often the most effective.

Living without electricity in a treehouse in Hawaii, director Marlin observed how drawn we are to light. In his case this included sun, moon, stars, fire... and the local volcano! From these he took inspiration, then added dance, physical theatre, circus skills, a superbly integrated soundtrack and his own quirky brand of humour to the blend. The whole theatre is plunged in to varying degrees of darkness as the illuminated, intoxicating spectacle unfolds. The pace slips a little towards the end - condensing the contents of this 75-minute performance down to an hour could do much to sustain momentum.

Bonfires crackle and spark in the air, the galaxy evolves before your eyes, soundwaves buzz and hum, while the computer screensaver cycles endlessly on. Good theatre has the ability to transport its audience anywhere, and Luma certainly achieves this outstandingly.
© Caitlin O'Hanrahan 23 August 2002. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs till 25 August 2002 every night at 9.30pm. Tickets £11 (£9) (£7 child)
Company - Luma Theatre

A Man And A Woman (page 65)
Drams
Venue Augustine's (Venue 152 )
Address George IV Bridge
Reviewer Thelma Good

Image © 2002

A man and a woman moving from first encounter to a long term relationship, their story is told in a series of arresting images. Dancers Richard Hague and Zoe Brown are precise and accurate in their movement and the images flow from one to the next with ease. Portraying all the flows and ebbs when two singles grow into a couple, the mutual support, the times when one leans too much or one turns away, choreographer Marianne Rouvier-Angell has created a piece concise and clear, not always the case in dance. There is also a scene where a suitcase is used as a screen where images are projected, the man becomes an extension of some of the images aligning himself behind the suspended suitcase - one of the best uses of projected images I have seen in a long time.

Later the opened, bottomless suitcase becomes the binding relationship as they step into and move with it, sometimes together sometimes, though joined in the band of the case, apart. It's short but a highly effective and affecting piece using a simple set of French windows and that versatile case, with a interesting variety of music, including classical, accordion and some song tunes "Je Ne Regrette Rien" and "Guilty of Loving You". A crisp production which makes me want to see more of their work.
© Thelma Good 22 August 2002 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs until 26 August at 11:50 (12:20)
Company - Lulu's Living Room luluslivingroom@postmaster.co.uk


Monsoon (page 65)

Drams none needed
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Aurora Nova has always stood for the highest quality, but this time they have managed to surpass themselves by bringing to the Fringe the French company Au Cul du Loup with their most recent experiment in movement and sound entitled Monsoon.

Through the use of deceptively simple objects/instruments and juxtaposing movement, song and music, three performers create magical images that play powerfully upon the imagination and senses of their audience. Without a word being spoken, a story is told, full of humour and poetry, that reaches epic proportions. The performers' childlike curiosity at what these instruments mean, and, more importantly, how they feel, create images of mythical quality, the images that will stick in the audience's mind long after they leave the theatre. Everything works without a glitch in this show, from terrific performances to superb set design and lighting.
This is, unquestionably, the Fringe First material.
Runs until 24 August (not 5, 12, 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 6 August 2002

More Than This (page 65)
Drams
Venue C (34)
Address Chambers Street
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

Connie and Claire live in a typical American trailer park and earn their living taking in laundry. The other tenants are an odd sock and his exotic new girlfriend, a French silk stocking (played as hand puppets). This is a tale of one day in the lives of our heroines (and I should point out that the blurb in the fringe programme doesn’t coincide with the show I saw this morning). The actresses play a number of subsidiary roles, stereotypical trailer-park trash. While the show was entertaining, in particular the 4th July jamboree played out through sock puppets, it was never entirely engaging. A moment of empathy came at the end, but it was a bit too late.

The company is advertised in the fringe programme under physical theatre and associate themselves with Lecoq by putting his name in brackets after theirs. I must say that this is what drew my attention. The company’s name, Larval Forms, no doubt refers to Lecoq’s larval-mask training. However, I failed to see any evidence of the stage presence and physicality I usually associate with Lecoq-trained performers. I must, however, mention the actress who played Connie. She played her minor roles with versatility and gave an extra dimension to her main character through body language. She made me watch her.

It’s a nice show, good for an early morning start, but I went in with expectations far too high.

Company: C
Until 25 Aug (not 11) 10.50 (50 mins) © Jackie Fletcher

Mumu's Mummy Land (page 65)

Drams none needed
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Behind a somewhat bizarre title lurks the wondrous world of Gilles Monnart's Boitman, a 21st century Everyman whose recyclable cardboard world embodies the fragmentation of contemporary reality.

Four dancers move through this world turning the cardboard pillars into labyrinths that are not unlike the weird and wonderful labyrinths of our mind. Cardboard boxes become objects by which the dancers perform gags that look as if they have been pulled out of Chaplin's Modern Times, Buster Keaton's hapless sketches, or such slapdash but oddly enjoyable cultural throw-ups of the 20th century such as Star Wars, Robocop and cheap Chinese martial art movies. The performance styles is as varied as the themes they portray, from Chaplinesque silent film and comic books routines, to the eighties street dance (one has the feeling that Monnart will throw himself into a breakdance routine any minute) and nineties rap. All this is topped with a spot of traditional magic that will make you cry with laughter.

Lighting is superb, set design is highly ingenious (if dirt-cheap) and choreography is flawless. This production promises to engross you in its multilayered, sensual, humorous world. Above all, it's fun, fun, fun.
Runs until 24 August (not 12-15 Aug, 19 Aug) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 11 August 2002

The Mute Who Was Dreamed (page 65)

Drams none needed
Venue Theatre Workshop, Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 20)
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

This poignant wordless performance, influenced by the work of such masters like Kantor and Brook, features exceptional acting, clever use of lighting and one of the best soundtracks at this year's Fringe. It depicts the complex relationship between a deaf mute girl and her carer, within the walls of a cage-like wire structure that represents both the room that has been the girl's prison, and her body that constrains her spirit.

The carer is her teacher and her keeper. She teaches her about the outside world, about its margins and dangers. The girl learns that fire burns, water cools, and a cloth dries. She learns about textures, different sensations and flying - spiritually and sensually, the latter being represented by putting on make-up. But make-up can epitomise both one's budding sexuality and a funeral mask, and the ultimate lesson that she must learn is that the boundaries between life and
death are never clear. Her growth and ultimate transformation are closely witnessed by the third character, (played by director Attila Pessyani), a 'blind' musician and silent narrator of her story.

Theatre Bazi's The Mute Who Was Dreamed is a powerful and extraordinary piece that will strike at the very core of your being. Another potential Fringe First contender, it is a definite must see.
Runs until 26 August (not 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 16 August 2002

Nouvelles Folies (page 65)

Drams None
Venue Gateway Theatre (7)
Address Elm Row
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Let's face it, folks, this show is a hit.

Imagine a quiet Breton fishing village. This is the world ruled by Nature's elements, in which high-tech urban civilisation has no dominion. Trawlermen sprawl about waiting for the weather to allow them to go to sea, local eccentrics get washed alongside the dirty laundry by accident, and no other sound disturbs the peace of the place but the cries of seagulls and melancholy ballads sang by local women. One day, a couple of urban yuppies enter this quirky world and the chaos ensues.

Rural vs. urban life, Nature vs. man, humanity vs. superficiality, ecology and human relationships are amongst the themes explored in this delightful blend of mime, acrobatics and clowning that will make your eyes water with laughter.

The best thing about this show is that it does not take itself seriously. Grave topics such as religion and man's struggle against Nature's forces are presented with an irreverent and most welcome dose of irony. There are superb performances from the entire cast, the set design is fun and imaginative, and the use of music and lighting is spot-on. This is a production that will definitely brighten your day.

Oh, you haven't heard of Compagnie Fiat Lux yet? Don't worry, after this you certainly will.
Runs until 26 August
© Ksenija Horvat 15 August 2002

Piano & Forte (page 65)
Drams
Venue Theatre Workshop/Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 20)
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

What happens when an amicable piano tuner meets a grumpy grand piano, and gives birth to a small clown? Well, you are about to find out in this delightful little show by the renowned Swiss clown, comedian, musician and acrobat Olli Hauenstein.

In the course of this one-man show the grand piano will turn into a baby cart, a ski trampoline, a car and a steel wire rope. Hauenstein is a first-rate performer who will have you eating out of his hand in the matter of minutes. His finely-tuned sense of all things theatrical is coupled with remarkable mime and acrobatic skills; the childlike quality of his presentation makes his fantasy world appealing to both adults and children.

If somewhat on the old-fashioned side (some acts seem well-worn and all too familiar), Piano & Forte will not fail to engage you. You will laugh with him, at him, and, ultimately, at yourselves.
Runs until 24 August (not Mons)
© Ksenija Horvat 7 August 2002
Olli Hauenstein

A Pornographic Fatality (page 65)
Drams
Venue Gateway Theatre (Venue 7)
Address Elm Row
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat If one were to describe Zecora Una's production in three words only, it would surely have to be wacky, bawdy and lip-smacking.

Upon entering Gateway's Pend Studio you are greeted by a company member who will try to entice you to take a swig out of what he swears to be a bottle of good wine. This is followed by a true Beckettesque opening, in which two performers discuss the meaning of dying and making tea in the microwave.

Have you got the picture by now? What follows is a succession of non-linear scenes in which performers question their identities and explore different ways of theatrical representation. They fall in and out of character, they talk to and about the audience, they stutter, they stumble, and generally make a show out of themselves. Theirs is an improvisational, gritty, irreverent, in-your-face kind of humour where no stone is left unturned and no taboo untouched.

Oh yes, for those hopefuls who judge the book by its cover it needs to be said: Sorry guys, there is no hint of porn in this one. Only Frosty the Snowman.
Runs until 26 August
© Ksenija Horvat 15 August 2002

Such Stuff That We Are Made Of (page 66)
Drams
Venue St Stephens/Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 8)
Address St Stephen Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Lia Rodrigues Companhia de Danças’ promenade show isn’t an easy viewing. Despite the company’s international acclaim, the production is a bit of a let-down.

There are some beautiful moments in the show, certain images stick in one’s mind for their poignancy and fragility, and the performers certainly need to be applauded for their enthusiasm and determination. Unfortunately, the show on the whole is neither innovative nor provocative enough to sustain one’s attention. Many have done experimenting with naked bodies in space, let’s just mention amazing work of The Living Theatre in the sixties and seventies (I believe they visited Brazil on one of their international tours). All of these years ago the Living Theatre achieved what Companhia de Danças could not, a genuine integration of the performers and their audience where all demarcations were off.

This production, on the contrary, is too controlling, too safe. If you wish to see some truly exciting ensemble work that explores sound and movement, that is socially relevant, and politically and philosophically challenging, I would suggest to catch one of Fabrik’s, Do Theatre’s or Company F/Z’s performances. But if your idea of political protest is watching a company of accomplished dancers march up and down St Stephens promenade studio along the sounds of ‘Let the Sunshine In’ and ‘Imagine’, in a neo-hippy fashion, then this is the show for you.

Surely we have gone beyond this stage by now. Haven’t we? Is it possible that yours truly has missed some hidden metaphysical, profoundly significant point and is very much mistaken in her judgment? All I can say is, go and see for yourselves.

Runs until 26 August (not 19) different times, check with the venue

© Ksenija Horvat 13 August 2002

Throat (page 67)

Drams None whatsoever
Venue Pleasance 2 (60)
Address The Pleasance
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

Throat is a 'witty fusion of circus, physical comedy and dance'. This line from the press release actually doesn't do the show justice. And don't let the more trite associations with the term circus put you off. This is physical theatre, image theatre, visual theatre at its very finest. John-Paul Zaccarini gives a virtuoso performance. It is an aesthetically delightful experience and an emotional journey of considerable depth. He took me from belly laughter to gut-wrenching fear within a few minutes. There are moments as utterly beautiful as anything I has ever witnessed on stage before. And he achieves this through a performance of consummate honesty and even humility. It is a piece devised by Zaccarini and director Flick Ferdinando with passion, compassion and absurd fun. But he captured our attention and our hearts immediately. As the audience enters there is a man in a pastel green kimono on stage kneading dough, preening himself, with a hint of dissatisfaction, in a mirror. But soon the dough becomes a baby. He cradles it lovingly against his chest, tenderly smiles, rubs his nose in its belly, powders its bottom with flour…and we are smitten. Soon he is mimicking love scenes from soap operas with verbal dexterity, and then folds seamlessly into a dance sequence on a chair and the floor that embodies his erotic longings. Within fifteen minutes one knows that this is a performer of staggering skill and versatility. Moreover, someone who can convey his insights into the human condition through sensual imagery that is moving and profound. And there are surprises, which I won't spoil by mentioning.

Peter Coyote's fine music adds an emotional dimension to Zaccarini's tantalising aerial dances, suspended from the ceiling on ropes and loops. While the performance swings from mood to mood, from laughter to pathos, from the here-and-now to the beyond, it is seamless. Don't miss it!

Until 26 Aug (not 7, 12) 13.30 (14.30)
© Jackie Fletcher

The Tibetan book of the dead or How not to do it again (page 67)
American High School Theatre Festival

Drams 0
Cast Fort Hayes Theatre Group, Todd Adam Decker (Director)
Venue Church Hill Theatre, Morningside Road (Venue 137)
Address Morningside Road
Reviewer Mairi Anderson

Tibetan Book of the Dead

This show from the amazingly diverse American High School Theatre Festival group of productions lives up to the quality I have come to expect from them. This work by the Fort Hayes Theatre Group is colourful, moving, challenging and inspirational. The talented young cast base the piece on the text of The Tibetan Book of the Dead and combine it with colourful ritual, dance and music, weaving the elements together to create a multicultural tapestry which works on many levels.

For those with no knowledge of Buddhism the show can be enjoyed as an interesting spectacle and an insight into another culture and belief system. The brightly coloured costumes and wonderfully carved masks help to create an intriguing dream-like world where many moods are evoked:- from fear and sadness to joy and excitement.
For those who do have an interest in Buddhism, this show illustrates a central tenet:- that this world (and the next), as we experience them are the product of our minds, a creation and an illusion. Perceiving this with clarity is enlightenment. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a practical manual for dying designed to help people stay conscious throughout the process so that they can become or stay enlightened.

These are difficult concepts to incorporate into a one-hour show. For me it worked well. I found the death mask, in particular, appropriately alarming and the dropping of the pile of body parts shocking. The simple eloquence of the text blended with the mystical chanting of the Om to evoke a feeling of awe and an appreciation of witnessing an insight into a deeper reality. I found it profoundly moving at the end when the players removed their masks. The contrast between their youthfulness and the ageless ancient wisdom of the words created a strong impact.

With such an unusual theme, I feel that some words of introduction about Buddhism and The Tibetan Book of the Dead would be helpful for many in the audience and would also help to promote the message of peace and understanding which the director, Todd Adam Decker, aims to share. This could only enhance a very positive experience. All concerned are to be congratulated on an ambitious, brave and inspired undertaking.

Run: Mon 19 Aug 22.30 and Wed 21 Aug 16.30
© Mairi Anderson. 16 Aug 2002 Published on EdinburghGuide.com

Unabated Sustained Vestige (page 67)
Drams
Venue C Venue (venue 34)
Address Chambers Street
Reviewer David Stanners

With a title like this, Unabated Sustained Vestige has a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, the pretension in the title is reflected in the performance leaving the tiny audience with a distinct, what was that all about, feeling at the end.

Performed and choreographed by Daniel Vais, this highly experimental one-man performance attempts to enlighten the audience by fusing traditional dance elements with a modern Japanese style called Butoh. As a complete novice to this style of dance, I was intrigued at the start, and baffled by the end.  Like a lot of modern dance, the performance throws out implications of what could be, inviting the audience to make up its own mind. In this case, philosophical questions about life, truth and being are posed. The problem is that, for the most part, the individual pieces lack sufficient diversity, energy and speed to make those suggestions interesting, and by the end, the intrigue has turned to frustration.

This is not to detract from this type of dance or to say that it can't work on stage. In this case it seems aimed at a highly specialised audience, well versed in Butoh or other types of Japanese dance. If you're one of those who are not, then for barely 40 minutes, it's probably not worth wading through the mobs to get there.
Runs until August 25 (not 11)
© David Stanners  14 August at 1400
Company: Device Dance

Uncle Wolodja (page 67)
Drams none
Venue Theatre Workshop, Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 20)
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

There is an element of Uncle Wolodja in every one of us, a childlike innocence that we forget about, all too often, in a daily rat race of modern life. It is, nevertheless there, locked away safely in our dreams. Still, there are amongst us those who have by chance or by choice retired from physical reality.

Alexej Merkushev's Uncle Wolodja is one such dreamer, a gentle soul whose inability to function in the real world has made him withdraw into a dream world of his own making. In this terrific one-man show, Merkushev blends his skills as an actor, mime, dancer and acrobat to create a fantasy world that is deeply engaging and highly emotionally charged. Moving through the set that looks as if it has been borrowed from a fairytale, he makes powerful imprints on the hearts and minds of his audience by creating universally recognisable visual and audio images out of simple everyday objects.

Merkushev is a master of his craft and in Uncle Wolodja he has created a show that will appeal to your innermost emotions. It will make you laugh, and cry, and then cry with laughter, over and over again.
Runs until 24 August (not Mondays) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 9 August 2002



Upside Down (not in Fringe Programme)
Drams
Venue Theatre Workshop
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Daniel Winterstein

Upside Down is a dance piece inspired by Rembrandt's "The Anatomy of Doctor Tulip". It is skilfully performed by three young Russians to Concerto for Strings and Weird Noises (a haunting aural background, although with a few inexplicably wrong numbers). It is dark, original and unsettling - but at times becomes too incoherent to take its audience with it. A plot loosely based around Mary Shelley's Frankenstein sees a dysfunctional family knitting themselves babies, dancing pas-de-deux, merging doctor-patient roles and knifing each other in the back. The action takes place in an ingenious set, and is eccentrically costumed (though at times barely costumed at all).

It starts well, but then plot goes out of the window in favour of some indulgent and over-long pieces. Although technically brilliant, the choreography is sometimes emotionally flat. Moments of humour lighten a show which does not seem to have any point, but to exist merely as a well-executed visual curiosity.
© Alison Gale & Daniel Winterstein, August 18th 2002. - published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs to 24th August, 3:15pm not 19 August

Bounce (page 60)
Drams
Venue Assembly Rooms (Venue 38)
Address 54 George Street
Reviewer Garry Platt

This show had the biggest queue of any performance I have so far seen on the fringe and the biggest performance space; I also had probably the worst seats with side stage lighting being beamed straight into my face, lovely. The show is meant to bring us the latest in terms of street dancing, break dancing and any other current popular form of tap or jive. The show is also meant to portray the talents of youngsters straight off the streets of New York and what this type dancing can really deliver in terms of entertainment and impact. The audiences it must be said love it indeed they get a standing ovation at the end. But I have to say that whilst they deserve one curtain call they do not deserve the audience melt down that they get.

The show runs on energy and not much else which is fine, but watching the show is rather like drinking a can of fizzy drink, once the pop has gone there’s not much else left. These performers can do the dance, walk the talk and strike every clichéd pose in the book and if that’s your bag this is your show.
Runs Until 26 August not 20

© Garry Platt, 07 August 2002

Cain's Hat (page 60 )
Drams
Venue St Stephens/Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 8)
Address St Stephen Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat
A hat can be a symbol of power and prestige, but it can also become a representation of betrayal, or a mask behind which one may hide one's true identity. Do we all crave for it? Is there a Cain in all of us?

In Cain's Hat Artus presents us with a bleak world whose history is steeped in constant power-struggle, betrayal and murder. It is a monochromatic world in which identities are constantly concealed and revealed, in which the power shifts from one to another, and which makes us believe that we all, indeed, are the children of Cain.

Playing with biblical myths of Cain the lawbreaker and Moses the lawmaker, Artus creates an interesting visual and choreographic piece that will touch you ntellectually, but not always emotionally. The use of martial arts in dance can work well, but it seems to be less successful on this occasion. Listening to the remarkable sound effects created by a combination of live and recorded a capella singing, that might vaguely be reminiscent of those enchanting old Hungarian folk ballads, one cannot but wonder why Artus have not plunged deeper into the wealth of their national folklore to find more engrossing means of expressing their ideas.

As it is, Cain's Hat remains a philosophically challenging piece that will make you work hard, and leave you with the sense that something good has just happened before you, you just don't quite know what it is.
© Ksenija Horvat 20 August 2002 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs until 24 August
Company Artus

The Chinese State Circus (page 61)

Drams None required
Venue The Meadows Theatre Big Tops
Address The Meadows, Melville Drive
Reviewer David Stanners

Forget the silly looking clowns doing silly looking juggling tricks that we all remember from many a year gone by.  This remarkable show begs the question, why was I never taken to a circus like this when I was a kid?

This cracking little number is the ultimate grand day out for all. Drawing from a long line of Chinese history and culture, the Changchun Troupe from north-east China have devised the perfect melange of agility, panache, dexterity and colour, leaving us all with our jaws firmly on deck.  There's hoop diving, foot spinning, plate spinning, balancing acts, spear dancing and contortionism, all executed with considerable aplomb to an audience pent up with suspended belief. One of the best is the head to head act, where twin female acrobats miraculously stand head to head on top of each other without even the slightest hint of what us mere mortals were thinking: bloody hell. That must really hurt! The plate spinning is also highly impressive, with the girls showing off their deftness of touch in the most uncompromising of positions.

The bright costumes and lighting add to the joy and flamboyance of the whole affair, which from start to finish moves seamlessly from one pillar of courage to the next.
© David Stanners 16 August 2002 - published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs until 24 August at various times
Company The Chinese State Circus

Chinvat, The Ninth Bridge (page 61)

Drams none
Venue Theatre Workshop, Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 20)
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

And just when you thought it cannot get any better enters Hungarian Arts Company Artus with Chinvat, the third part of their performing event Noah Trilogy, written and directed by the company's founder Gábor Goda.

After a surprise beginning in the best fashion of Hungarian traditional puppet theatre, in the simple black and white setting, four performers enact the myth of the Ninth Bridge, Chinvat, where humans are measured not by their words but by their deeds. Through impeccable use of movement, music (inspired by Hungarian folk music) and lighting, the audience is transported into a surreal black and white world where anything is possible and the law of gravity does not always apply.

For those with little knowledge of Hungarian dance-based theatre, Artus stands for perfection, which they have proven again with intriguing choreography and well-rounded performances from all involved. This is not their first visit to the Fringe, in 1999 they were shortlisted for a Total Theatre Award with Turul.
Chinvat is a truly captivating production, bursting with lyricism and humour. A definite must see!
Runs until 24 August (not Mondays) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 9 August 2002
www.artus.hu



The Colour of Love (page 61)
Drams
Venue The Columcille Centre (Venue 141)
Address 2 Newbattle Terrace
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Do you wish to delve into the depths of a woman's heart and find the secrets hidden there? Do you yearn to know what colour love is? If you do, you will not find it in this show. Janis Mackay's and Elena Orbegozo Bieda's presentation of the snippets of love poetry by various distinguished authors, and accompanied by live music and dance, contains some fine tunes and images. Still, it can hardly be called theatre.

The performers describe their work as an exploration of the creative space between speech and eurythmy. And do not be mistaken, there are glimpses of something inspirational and pure in their presentation. However, the beauty of poetry is muted by embryonic choreography, and the performers' inability to turn their act into a truly organic experience.

This can only be taken as the work in progress, and there is many a mile still to go until one witnesses the final product.
© Ksenija Horvat 17 August 2002 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs until 30 August


Dancescapes III (page 62)
Drams
Venue The Garage, (Venue 33)
Address Grindlay Court Centre, Grindlay Street
Reviewer Garry Platt

UNLV, The University of Nevada Las Vegas have become a regular feature on the Fringe and the students who come such a distance to deliver their show clearly have a commitment and passion for their art. This years offering however falters lacking a consistency of innovation or engagement in the numerous pieces which are offered.

I feel the opening set; ‘Baggies’ whilst different, (the dancers are hidden inside stretchy bags of bright material) it is never really fully exploited and consequently its like watching a young bird who is learning to fly it gets off the ground for a few seconds but can’t maintain the momentum and then crashes back down to earth

The final piece of the show choreographed by Lewis Kavorus gives us what we want a beautifully balanced piece with flowing shapes, clever forms and a great vehicle for these student’s talents.

I never like giving a poor or mediocre review but alas this show never gets much above half way.

Runs Until 26 August not 12 or 19
© Garry Platt, 04 August 2002

Derevo - La Divina Commedia (page 62)

Drams None
Venue Assembly Big Top
Address Edinburgh Academic Sports Centre, Raeburn Place
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

I don't' know whether I should say that postmodern theatre has come to Russia, or that Russia, because of its history of censorship, has had a tradition of postmodern ambiguity, fragmentation and irony that precedes our new western sophisticated postmodern art forms. In any event this is a stunning spectacle. Whether or not it has any consistent references to Dante, I don't know and I don't care. This was a roller coaster of spectacle, utterly engaging, confounding in meaning, yet so satisfying. Do I care if there is no linear narrative? No! Does life really progress from cause to effect. No? This is a series of experiences, gripping, profound, and ultimately stimulated by the visual input of actors with a dedication to what they are exhibiting and the consummate stage presence that carries us along. Why should spectacle be denigrated? This is spectacle that grabs you and taps you on the shoulder three days afterwards and says: 'Think about me! I'm still here and I'm not going to go away. Don't you think you should ask some questions about the meaning of life'.

Like Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky, this latest piece from Devero it is utterly serious about the human condition. But the spectacle, and it is a spectacle of people, disparate, incompatible, conjoining because they must, aggravating, terrifying, like a mediaeval carnival of insanity is just so compelling. I was on the edge of my chair throughout: with utter fascination for the action and the performances. This is a great piece of theatre. Can we have more of it, please?

Until 25 Aug (not 14) 22.00 (1 hr).
© Jackie Fletcher

Doodrock (page 62)
Drams
Venue Gateway (Venue 7)
Address Elm Row
Reviewer Neil Ingram

It's loud and showy, but there's a lot more to Doodrock than just drumming. Driven along by a fusion of traditional Korean drumming and a variety of jazz and rock styles, this is really a very varied dance show, with dramatic action and moments of humour. The group of 9 performers start conventionally enough with a massive array of fairly standard drum kits, but later they move onto larger Korean drums, oildrums, kitchen utensils and other everyday items.

While the drums left an impact on my hearing, the dancing made a visual impression, and I particularly liked the corps of tap-dancing policemen. Watch out also for some very classy hairdressers, and be prepared to join in when the conductor organises the audience to provide their own percussion effects.

If you like a variety of modern dance and loud music, this is for you, but if you're bored by drum solos and the like, maybe you should give it a miss. But if you do, you'll also miss a fascinating and unique show that left me with some stunning visual and aural memories.

Runs until 26 August at 19.00, not 14th
Company- Doodrock Productions
© Neil Ingram 9 August 2002

Drip (page 63)

Drams Just a glass of tap water
Venue C (34)
Address Chambers Street
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

This is an extremely enjoyable show. Its cast of Lecoq-trained actors are utterly superb. But it's not just a delight in the invention and the movement that grabbed me. This is a show about the scarcity of water, and while communities in the third world often find themselves without decent drinking water, the community of Cracker Valley in America is embroiled in a competition to save water during their annual heat wave and drought. The winners get their picture on the front page of a local newspaper. The diversely comic inhabitants of one tenement are determined to get their picture in the paper, and go to extreme lengths to inhibit their use of the live-giving substance, and suffer, over a period of several weeks. But one inhabitant, the nerdy Ben, is still taking baths in spite of his co-habitués considerable sacrifices. As their levels of water usage rises, they set out to discover the culprit committing the crime of taking a bath. There is so much fun and invention in this show I was utterly delighted. It's not thick on plot, but who needs that when you are satirizing individuals willing to forgo washing and drinking water for the sake of a moment of fame. They do get their moment in the press, the national press and TV, but not as they had expected it.

The beauty of this performance is in the grotesque characterisation through costume and movement. The consummately precise timing and ensemble work is just invigorating to watch. It is an international cast brought together through their training and I hope they will continue to work together. They were all superb, all the actors gave utterly compelling performances, but I must single out Max Dana, who took the lead as the nerdy Ben, and still became a nerdy hero, in a performance of magnificent versatile comedy. Highly recommended.

Until 25 Aug (16.00) Running time 1.15mins
© Jackie Fletcher

Fallen (page 63)

Drams none, absolutely superb!
Venue St Stephens/Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 8)
Address St Stephen Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

What do you do in the presence of divine creative inspiration but bow reverently in admiration?

Fallen is one of the most profoundly moving, thought-provoking and humorous shows that you will see at this year's Fringe. With its sublime blend of live and recorded music, voice-over, innovative choreography, and the set design that is bursting with metaphorical richness, Fabrik Potsdam's most recent collaboration with American choreographer Jess Curtis is a mesmerising study of linguistic and physical concepts of falling. Riveting in its sensuality, spirituality and poetics, which are reminiscent of Wenders' The Wings of Desire, this is a show about trust and human relationships, about fragility of human life, about letting go of one's fears, expectations and aspirations, and about allowing oneself to find the ultimate beauty in just being human.

Fallen is intriguing, magnetic and irresistible. It will make you ponder upon your own life; it will trigger emotions and memories that you thought were long gone. You must see this show.
Runs until 24 August (not 12, 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 13 August 2002
Fabrik Potsdam www.fabrikpotsdam.de

First Love (page 63)
Drams
Venue The Zoo Venue (Venue 124)
Address Kirk O'Field Parish Church, 140 The Pleasance
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

One of Act Provocateur International's three offerings to this year's Fringe is an intriguing tale of love and loss by Victor Sobchak (who also scripted The Witch), inspired by Beckett. And a true little gem it is indeed. A young tramp (Andy McQuade) meets a prostitute (Iaione Perez) and from a chance meeting first love is born. But can its purity survive the cruelty and perversity of the world around them?

First Love is a show that perfectly blends technical simplicity with first-rate acting, and its poignant imagery will leave you reeling and crying for more. Smell, touch and taste are at its very core - it explores all human senses and emotions through intense relationship between its protagonists. Though well scripted, the production is at its strongest when it abandons dialogue and allows movement and images to speak for themselves. This show is a must see, a true treat of physical theatre at its best and most genuine. It contains some nudity, so leave your kids at home.

Runs until 17 August © Ksenija Horvat 5 August 2002
company Act Provocateur International www.art-vic.net

Ful (page 63)
Drams
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (Venue 8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

From its beginning, Ful, by Spanish company Nats Nus Dansa, promises to be an exciting and memorable Fringe experience. Five monoliths, five performers, a lot of passion, and a succession of stunning visual images make up this chaotic mysterious world of emotions. Five people pass by each other, meet, form relationships and depart. Various human sensations are explored through movement: seduction, love, hate, rejection, loss.

This production is characterised by ingenious use of lighting, shadows and video technology, and highly rhythmical movement that finds as much of its inspiration in the Spanish tradition as in contemporary dance. Members of Nats Nus Dansa troupe prove to be both accomplished dancers and exquisite actors, juxtaposing their dance routines with trilingual (English, Spanish and Catalan) comic sketches.

Ful is visually mesmerising, emotionally engaging and highly entertaining. Still, one might feel, at certain moments, that there is a scope to develop the movement further, to push it to the edge. At the moment the work is, choreographically speaking, still being made, yet to achieve its perfect voice.
Runs until 23 August (not 12, 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 10 August 2002

The Government Inspector (page 64)

Drams None
Venue The Pleasance (33)
Address 60 The Pleasance
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

If you have already savoured the sensual delights of movement-based theatre then Theatre de L’Ange Fou’s The Government Inspector must not be missed. If you are not familiar with aforementioned pleasures, then here is a good opportunity to titillate your palate.

This is not so much a piece of physical theatre (an inadequate umbrella term for a wide diversity of styles) as a visual and aural melange of satisfying textures: colour, lighting, sound, music and text are vibrantly fused through movement both sublime and grotesque. L’Ange Fou’s adaptation of Gogol’s witty and mischievous tale of small-town corruption. Is a performance of imagination, verve and panache, in which a passing, and penniless, young man is mistaken for a high-ranking government employee come to hold civic dignitaries responsible for their misdemeanours. He is fêted by the citizens, seduced by their wives, and, in one magnificently orchestrated vignette, they form a never-ending, snake-like progression vying to hand over their banknotes. The company’s strength lies in their ensemble work and their rigorous training. One must admire the co-ordination and precision with which they present a tableau of anarchy.

The magnificent brass bedstead, table and chair, all on wheels, fulfil a multitude of functions; at one point the bed becomes a boxing ring on which, to classical music of solemnity and pathos, the mayor and the young man act out a boxing contest in delightful, comic slow motion symbolically embodying an antagonism invisible on the hypocritical surface of social niceties. The company of actors from a variety of nationalities train in the school of mime corporal devised by Etienne Decroux , who was inspired by the rejection of ‘literary’ theatre in Paris in the ‘20s. Decroux worked with most of the famous personalities in French theatre before setting up his own school.

This company, now internationally renowned, is passing on a long-standing French tradition of movement-based theatre with considerable versatility in style. Happily, they have opened up a school in London, which might, in time, add a new dimension to our own theatre provision. But, if you can’t join up for their course, at least go and enjoy the latest work. You’ll want to join up immediately afterwards. It’s a feast for the senses. It is invigorating, life-enhancing theatre. And when they come on for their curtain call, sweating from their exertions, do what audiences do on the continent: cheer and whistle and shout “Bravo!”

Runs until 26 except 7, 13, 20 Aug.
© Jackie Fletcher

Kammerajäger/Die Versuchung - Temptation/Roach Motel (page 64)
Drams
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (Venue 8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Company Drift's production is a two-piece show that portrays a peculiar eccentric world of strange beings. In Roach Motel, the death lurks in the shadows (or is it just the motel's janitor exterminating the pests?), while in Temptation, gnomes wait and listen in a burnt-down cellar of a theatre building. Both pieces are energetic and humorous explorations of the absurdities of modern everyday life by means of repetitive and, at times, mechanical or animal-like movement.

After a while, one may begin to ask oneself what exactly is the purpose of it all. Well, perhaps it is reflected in the company's very name; perhaps the only purpose is to allow the audience to drift between different images to which they can attach their own personal meanings. Though sometimes the repetitiveness of movement and images may seem to drag its heels, this work is intriguing enough to keep your undivided attention.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, the fact remains that, though it may not challenge your worldview, this show makes an easy viewing. It is very funny and utterly offbeat. There is a fifteen-minute intermission to allow a set change.
Runs until 24 August (not 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 15 August 2002

Luma: Theatre of Light (page 65)
Drams
Venue George Square Theatre (venue 37)
Address George Square, Edinburgh
Reviewer Caitlin O'Hanrahan

The simplest ideas are often the most effective.

Living without electricity in a treehouse in Hawaii, director Marlin observed how drawn we are to light. In his case this included sun, moon, stars, fire... and the local volcano! From these he took inspiration, then added dance, physical theatre, circus skills, a superbly integrated soundtrack and his own quirky brand of humour to the blend. The whole theatre is plunged in to varying degrees of darkness as the illuminated, intoxicating spectacle unfolds. The pace slips a little towards the end - condensing the contents of this 75-minute performance down to an hour could do much to sustain momentum.

Bonfires crackle and spark in the air, the galaxy evolves before your eyes, soundwaves buzz and hum, while the computer screensaver cycles endlessly on. Good theatre has the ability to transport its audience anywhere, and Luma certainly achieves this outstandingly.
© Caitlin O'Hanrahan 23 August 2002. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs till 25 August 2002 every night at 9.30pm. Tickets £11 (£9) (£7 child)
Company - Luma Theatre

A Man And A Woman (page 65)
Drams
Venue Augustine's (Venue 152 )
Address George IV Bridge
Reviewer Thelma Good

Image © 2002

A man and a woman moving from first encounter to a long term relationship, their story is told in a series of arresting images. Dancers Richard Hague and Zoe Brown are precise and accurate in their movement and the images flow from one to the next with ease. Portraying all the flows and ebbs when two singles grow into a couple, the mutual support, the times when one leans too much or one turns away, choreographer Marianne Rouvier-Angell has created a piece concise and clear, not always the case in dance. There is also a scene where a suitcase is used as a screen where images are projected, the man becomes an extension of some of the images aligning himself behind the suspended suitcase - one of the best uses of projected images I have seen in a long time.

Later the opened, bottomless suitcase becomes the binding relationship as they step into and move with it, sometimes together sometimes, though joined in the band of the case, apart. It's short but a highly effective and affecting piece using a simple set of French windows and that versatile case, with a interesting variety of music, including classical, accordion and some song tunes "Je Ne Regrette Rien" and "Guilty of Loving You". A crisp production which makes me want to see more of their work.
© Thelma Good 22 August 2002 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs until 26 August at 11:50 (12:20)
Company - Lulu's Living Room luluslivingroom@postmaster.co.uk


Monsoon (page 65)

Drams none needed
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Aurora Nova has always stood for the highest quality, but this time they have managed to surpass themselves by bringing to the Fringe the French company Au Cul du Loup with their most recent experiment in movement and sound entitled Monsoon.

Through the use of deceptively simple objects/instruments and juxtaposing movement, song and music, three performers create magical images that play powerfully upon the imagination and senses of their audience. Without a word being spoken, a story is told, full of humour and poetry, that reaches epic proportions. The performers' childlike curiosity at what these instruments mean, and, more importantly, how they feel, create images of mythical quality, the images that will stick in the audience's mind long after they leave the theatre. Everything works without a glitch in this show, from terrific performances to superb set design and lighting.
This is, unquestionably, the Fringe First material.
Runs until 24 August (not 5, 12, 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 6 August 2002

More Than This (page 65)
Drams
Venue C (34)
Address Chambers Street
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

Connie and Claire live in a typical American trailer park and earn their living taking in laundry. The other tenants are an odd sock and his exotic new girlfriend, a French silk stocking (played as hand puppets). This is a tale of one day in the lives of our heroines (and I should point out that the blurb in the fringe programme doesn’t coincide with the show I saw this morning). The actresses play a number of subsidiary roles, stereotypical trailer-park trash. While the show was entertaining, in particular the 4th July jamboree played out through sock puppets, it was never entirely engaging. A moment of empathy came at the end, but it was a bit too late.

The company is advertised in the fringe programme under physical theatre and associate themselves with Lecoq by putting his name in brackets after theirs. I must say that this is what drew my attention. The company’s name, Larval Forms, no doubt refers to Lecoq’s larval-mask training. However, I failed to see any evidence of the stage presence and physicality I usually associate with Lecoq-trained performers. I must, however, mention the actress who played Connie. She played her minor roles with versatility and gave an extra dimension to her main character through body language. She made me watch her.

It’s a nice show, good for an early morning start, but I went in with expectations far too high.

Company: C
Until 25 Aug (not 11) 10.50 (50 mins) © Jackie Fletcher

Mumu's Mummy Land (page 65)

Drams none needed
Venue St Stephens (Cafédirect - Aurora Nova) (8)
Address St Stephens Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Behind a somewhat bizarre title lurks the wondrous world of Gilles Monnart's Boitman, a 21st century Everyman whose recyclable cardboard world embodies the fragmentation of contemporary reality.

Four dancers move through this world turning the cardboard pillars into labyrinths that are not unlike the weird and wonderful labyrinths of our mind. Cardboard boxes become objects by which the dancers perform gags that look as if they have been pulled out of Chaplin's Modern Times, Buster Keaton's hapless sketches, or such slapdash but oddly enjoyable cultural throw-ups of the 20th century such as Star Wars, Robocop and cheap Chinese martial art movies. The performance styles is as varied as the themes they portray, from Chaplinesque silent film and comic books routines, to the eighties street dance (one has the feeling that Monnart will throw himself into a breakdance routine any minute) and nineties rap. All this is topped with a spot of traditional magic that will make you cry with laughter.

Lighting is superb, set design is highly ingenious (if dirt-cheap) and choreography is flawless. This production promises to engross you in its multilayered, sensual, humorous world. Above all, it's fun, fun, fun.
Runs until 24 August (not 12-15 Aug, 19 Aug) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 11 August 2002

The Mute Who Was Dreamed (page 65)

Drams none needed
Venue Theatre Workshop, Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 20)
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

This poignant wordless performance, influenced by the work of such masters like Kantor and Brook, features exceptional acting, clever use of lighting and one of the best soundtracks at this year's Fringe. It depicts the complex relationship between a deaf mute girl and her carer, within the walls of a cage-like wire structure that represents both the room that has been the girl's prison, and her body that constrains her spirit.

The carer is her teacher and her keeper. She teaches her about the outside world, about its margins and dangers. The girl learns that fire burns, water cools, and a cloth dries. She learns about textures, different sensations and flying - spiritually and sensually, the latter being represented by putting on make-up. But make-up can epitomise both one's budding sexuality and a funeral mask, and the ultimate lesson that she must learn is that the boundaries between life and
death are never clear. Her growth and ultimate transformation are closely witnessed by the third character, (played by director Attila Pessyani), a 'blind' musician and silent narrator of her story.

Theatre Bazi's The Mute Who Was Dreamed is a powerful and extraordinary piece that will strike at the very core of your being. Another potential Fringe First contender, it is a definite must see.
Runs until 26 August (not 19) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 16 August 2002

Nouvelles Folies (page 65)

Drams None
Venue Gateway Theatre (7)
Address Elm Row
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Let's face it, folks, this show is a hit.

Imagine a quiet Breton fishing village. This is the world ruled by Nature's elements, in which high-tech urban civilisation has no dominion. Trawlermen sprawl about waiting for the weather to allow them to go to sea, local eccentrics get washed alongside the dirty laundry by accident, and no other sound disturbs the peace of the place but the cries of seagulls and melancholy ballads sang by local women. One day, a couple of urban yuppies enter this quirky world and the chaos ensues.

Rural vs. urban life, Nature vs. man, humanity vs. superficiality, ecology and human relationships are amongst the themes explored in this delightful blend of mime, acrobatics and clowning that will make your eyes water with laughter.

The best thing about this show is that it does not take itself seriously. Grave topics such as religion and man's struggle against Nature's forces are presented with an irreverent and most welcome dose of irony. There are superb performances from the entire cast, the set design is fun and imaginative, and the use of music and lighting is spot-on. This is a production that will definitely brighten your day.

Oh, you haven't heard of Compagnie Fiat Lux yet? Don't worry, after this you certainly will.
Runs until 26 August
© Ksenija Horvat 15 August 2002

Piano & Forte (page 65)
Drams
Venue Theatre Workshop/Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 20)
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

What happens when an amicable piano tuner meets a grumpy grand piano, and gives birth to a small clown? Well, you are about to find out in this delightful little show by the renowned Swiss clown, comedian, musician and acrobat Olli Hauenstein.

In the course of this one-man show the grand piano will turn into a baby cart, a ski trampoline, a car and a steel wire rope. Hauenstein is a first-rate performer who will have you eating out of his hand in the matter of minutes. His finely-tuned sense of all things theatrical is coupled with remarkable mime and acrobatic skills; the childlike quality of his presentation makes his fantasy world appealing to both adults and children.

If somewhat on the old-fashioned side (some acts seem well-worn and all too familiar), Piano & Forte will not fail to engage you. You will laugh with him, at him, and, ultimately, at yourselves.
Runs until 24 August (not Mons)
© Ksenija Horvat 7 August 2002
Olli Hauenstein

A Pornographic Fatality (page 65)
Drams
Venue Gateway Theatre (Venue 7)
Address Elm Row
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat If one were to describe Zecora Una's production in three words only, it would surely have to be wacky, bawdy and lip-smacking.

Upon entering Gateway's Pend Studio you are greeted by a company member who will try to entice you to take a swig out of what he swears to be a bottle of good wine. This is followed by a true Beckettesque opening, in which two performers discuss the meaning of dying and making tea in the microwave.

Have you got the picture by now? What follows is a succession of non-linear scenes in which performers question their identities and explore different ways of theatrical representation. They fall in and out of character, they talk to and about the audience, they stutter, they stumble, and generally make a show out of themselves. Theirs is an improvisational, gritty, irreverent, in-your-face kind of humour where no stone is left unturned and no taboo untouched.

Oh yes, for those hopefuls who judge the book by its cover it needs to be said: Sorry guys, there is no hint of porn in this one. Only Frosty the Snowman.
Runs until 26 August
© Ksenija Horvat 15 August 2002

Such Stuff That We Are Made Of (page 66)
Drams
Venue St Stephens/Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 8)
Address St Stephen Centre, St Stephen Street
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

Lia Rodrigues Companhia de Danças’ promenade show isn’t an easy viewing. Despite the company’s international acclaim, the production is a bit of a let-down.

There are some beautiful moments in the show, certain images stick in one’s mind for their poignancy and fragility, and the performers certainly need to be applauded for their enthusiasm and determination. Unfortunately, the show on the whole is neither innovative nor provocative enough to sustain one’s attention. Many have done experimenting with naked bodies in space, let’s just mention amazing work of The Living Theatre in the sixties and seventies (I believe they visited Brazil on one of their international tours). All of these years ago the Living Theatre achieved what Companhia de Danças could not, a genuine integration of the performers and their audience where all demarcations were off.

This production, on the contrary, is too controlling, too safe. If you wish to see some truly exciting ensemble work that explores sound and movement, that is socially relevant, and politically and philosophically challenging, I would suggest to catch one of Fabrik’s, Do Theatre’s or Company F/Z’s performances. But if your idea of political protest is watching a company of accomplished dancers march up and down St Stephens promenade studio along the sounds of ‘Let the Sunshine In’ and ‘Imagine’, in a neo-hippy fashion, then this is the show for you.

Surely we have gone beyond this stage by now. Haven’t we? Is it possible that yours truly has missed some hidden metaphysical, profoundly significant point and is very much mistaken in her judgment? All I can say is, go and see for yourselves.

Runs until 26 August (not 19) different times, check with the venue

© Ksenija Horvat 13 August 2002

Throat (page 67)

Drams None whatsoever
Venue Pleasance 2 (60)
Address The Pleasance
Reviewer Jackie Fletcher

Throat is a 'witty fusion of circus, physical comedy and dance'. This line from the press release actually doesn't do the show justice. And don't let the more trite associations with the term circus put you off. This is physical theatre, image theatre, visual theatre at its very finest. John-Paul Zaccarini gives a virtuoso performance. It is an aesthetically delightful experience and an emotional journey of considerable depth. He took me from belly laughter to gut-wrenching fear within a few minutes. There are moments as utterly beautiful as anything I has ever witnessed on stage before. And he achieves this through a performance of consummate honesty and even humility. It is a piece devised by Zaccarini and director Flick Ferdinando with passion, compassion and absurd fun. But he captured our attention and our hearts immediately. As the audience enters there is a man in a pastel green kimono on stage kneading dough, preening himself, with a hint of dissatisfaction, in a mirror. But soon the dough becomes a baby. He cradles it lovingly against his chest, tenderly smiles, rubs his nose in its belly, powders its bottom with flour…and we are smitten. Soon he is mimicking love scenes from soap operas with verbal dexterity, and then folds seamlessly into a dance sequence on a chair and the floor that embodies his erotic longings. Within fifteen minutes one knows that this is a performer of staggering skill and versatility. Moreover, someone who can convey his insights into the human condition through sensual imagery that is moving and profound. And there are surprises, which I won't spoil by mentioning.

Peter Coyote's fine music adds an emotional dimension to Zaccarini's tantalising aerial dances, suspended from the ceiling on ropes and loops. While the performance swings from mood to mood, from laughter to pathos, from the here-and-now to the beyond, it is seamless. Don't miss it!

Until 26 Aug (not 7, 12) 13.30 (14.30)
© Jackie Fletcher

The Tibetan book of the dead or How not to do it again (page 67)
American High School Theatre Festival

Drams 0
Cast Fort Hayes Theatre Group, Todd Adam Decker (Director)
Venue Church Hill Theatre, Morningside Road (Venue 137)
Address Morningside Road
Reviewer Mairi Anderson

Tibetan Book of the Dead

This show from the amazingly diverse American High School Theatre Festival group of productions lives up to the quality I have come to expect from them. This work by the Fort Hayes Theatre Group is colourful, moving, challenging and inspirational. The talented young cast base the piece on the text of The Tibetan Book of the Dead and combine it with colourful ritual, dance and music, weaving the elements together to create a multicultural tapestry which works on many levels.

For those with no knowledge of Buddhism the show can be enjoyed as an interesting spectacle and an insight into another culture and belief system. The brightly coloured costumes and wonderfully carved masks help to create an intriguing dream-like world where many moods are evoked:- from fear and sadness to joy and excitement.
For those who do have an interest in Buddhism, this show illustrates a central tenet:- that this world (and the next), as we experience them are the product of our minds, a creation and an illusion. Perceiving this with clarity is enlightenment. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a practical manual for dying designed to help people stay conscious throughout the process so that they can become or stay enlightened.

These are difficult concepts to incorporate into a one-hour show. For me it worked well. I found the death mask, in particular, appropriately alarming and the dropping of the pile of body parts shocking. The simple eloquence of the text blended with the mystical chanting of the Om to evoke a feeling of awe and an appreciation of witnessing an insight into a deeper reality. I found it profoundly moving at the end when the players removed their masks. The contrast between their youthfulness and the ageless ancient wisdom of the words created a strong impact.

With such an unusual theme, I feel that some words of introduction about Buddhism and The Tibetan Book of the Dead would be helpful for many in the audience and would also help to promote the message of peace and understanding which the director, Todd Adam Decker, aims to share. This could only enhance a very positive experience. All concerned are to be congratulated on an ambitious, brave and inspired undertaking.

Run: Mon 19 Aug 22.30 and Wed 21 Aug 16.30
© Mairi Anderson. 16 Aug 2002 Published on EdinburghGuide.com

Unabated Sustained Vestige (page 67)
Drams
Venue C Venue (venue 34)
Address Chambers Street
Reviewer David Stanners

With a title like this, Unabated Sustained Vestige has a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, the pretension in the title is reflected in the performance leaving the tiny audience with a distinct, what was that all about, feeling at the end.

Performed and choreographed by Daniel Vais, this highly experimental one-man performance attempts to enlighten the audience by fusing traditional dance elements with a modern Japanese style called Butoh. As a complete novice to this style of dance, I was intrigued at the start, and baffled by the end.  Like a lot of modern dance, the performance throws out implications of what could be, inviting the audience to make up its own mind. In this case, philosophical questions about life, truth and being are posed. The problem is that, for the most part, the individual pieces lack sufficient diversity, energy and speed to make those suggestions interesting, and by the end, the intrigue has turned to frustration.

This is not to detract from this type of dance or to say that it can't work on stage. In this case it seems aimed at a highly specialised audience, well versed in Butoh or other types of Japanese dance. If you're one of those who are not, then for barely 40 minutes, it's probably not worth wading through the mobs to get there.
Runs until August 25 (not 11)
© David Stanners  14 August at 1400
Company: Device Dance

Uncle Wolodja (page 67)
Drams none
Venue Theatre Workshop, Cafédirect-Aurora Nova (Venue 20)
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Ksenija Horvat

There is an element of Uncle Wolodja in every one of us, a childlike innocence that we forget about, all too often, in a daily rat race of modern life. It is, nevertheless there, locked away safely in our dreams. Still, there are amongst us those who have by chance or by choice retired from physical reality.

Alexej Merkushev's Uncle Wolodja is one such dreamer, a gentle soul whose inability to function in the real world has made him withdraw into a dream world of his own making. In this terrific one-man show, Merkushev blends his skills as an actor, mime, dancer and acrobat to create a fantasy world that is deeply engaging and highly emotionally charged. Moving through the set that looks as if it has been borrowed from a fairytale, he makes powerful imprints on the hearts and minds of his audience by creating universally recognisable visual and audio images out of simple everyday objects.

Merkushev is a master of his craft and in Uncle Wolodja he has created a show that will appeal to your innermost emotions. It will make you laugh, and cry, and then cry with laughter, over and over again.
Runs until 24 August (not Mondays) different times, check with the venue
© Ksenija Horvat 9 August 2002



Upside Down (not in Fringe Programme)
Drams
Venue Theatre Workshop
Address 34 Hamilton Place
Reviewer Daniel Winterstein

Upside Down is a dance piece inspired by Rembrandt's "The Anatomy of Doctor Tulip". It is skilfully performed by three young Russians to Concerto for Strings and Weird Noises (a haunting aural background, although with a few inexplicably wrong numbers). It is dark, original and unsettling - but at times becomes too incoherent to take its audience with it. A plot loosely based around Mary Shelley's Frankenstein sees a dysfunctional family knitting themselves babies, dancing pas-de-deux, merging doctor-patient roles and knifing each other in the back. The action takes place in an ingenious set, and is eccentrically costumed (though at times barely costumed at all).

It starts well, but then plot goes out of the window in favour of some indulgent and over-long pieces. Although technically brilliant, the choreography is sometimes emotionally flat. Moments of humour lighten a show which does not seem to have any point, but to exist merely as a well-executed visual curiosity.
© Alison Gale & Daniel Winterstein, August 18th 2002. - published on EdinburghGuide.com
Runs to 24th August, 3:15pm not 19 August

(.) 59 out of 59