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| Edinburgh : A&E : Festivals : Fringe Reviews |
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 Childrens |
Rating Guide None = Unmissable 
= UnwatchablePage number refers to the Fringe programme Brer Rabbit On Trial (Page 9). Drams .A
soft one for the bunnies.Venue Greyfriars Kirk House. (Venue 28). Address 86 Candlemaker Row. Reviewer Guy Woodward. Ben Jeffreys’ new adaptation of the Brer Rabbit tales offers the audience a thoroughly interactive experience. In the course of the play we are presented with a number of scenes from the life and crimes of our eponymous furry miscreant, before his trial, after which we are asked, on the strength of what we have seen, to find the defendant guilty, not guilty, or (as we are under Scottish law at the Fringe) to return a verdict of not proven. This gives the play a rare edge, and the children in the audience were visibly drawn into the debate and consideration of evidence, and excited by their chance in the closing scene to influence the ending. It is a clever way to subvert the charge often levelled at children’ s productions that they have a tendency to talk down to or patronise their audience. The acting is for the most part impressive, though sometimes a little slow, but the cast are clearly strong and focused as an ensemble. Brer Bear’s endearing daftness proved particularly popular with the audience, and the sadistic Brer Crow caused shivers to course down many young spines. Visually speaking the production is certainly striking, not to say distinctly sinister and rather frightening. The costumes are extremely good (watch out for the Glue Baby), and the rubber animal masks and heads worn by the actors reminded me of nothing less than those worn by the residents of Summerisle, as they prepare to sacrifice Sergeant Howie in The Wicker Man. The Pig’s face, the Eagle’s head, the beak noses: all these will stay with me for many nights to come. There is much here for parents to enjoy, too, with knowing references to litigation, communism, and a skit on the famous race sequence from 80s Brit flick Chariots of Fire ensuring that the production runs on more than one level. The Squirrel Snatchers seem to be having a lot of fun here, and that sense of enjoyment certainly translates to the audience. © Guy Woodward 9 August 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Runs to August 13 at 11.20. Company-Reed’s Squirrel Snatchers.
A Clean Sweep. (Page 9). Drams None. Outstanding. Venue Dance Base - National Centre For Dance. (Venue 22). Address 14 - 16 Grassmarket. Reveiwer Ariadne Cass. This is children's clowning at its absolute very best. Tim Licata and Ian Cameron are brilliant as two men sweeping their way through each other's differences and foibles in A Clean Sweep. Not a word is spoken, only the occasional outraged or pitiable squeak. This is a purely physical form of story - telling. Mainly it's very funny, but like all truly good clowning, it explores all the ranges of human emotion to tell a story about beauty, annoyance, rage and reconciliation. The set and the props are simple - a curtain rail and a lot of brooms, brushes and dusters. Every single one of them is used to glorious effect, even the dust itself, as it floats above their heads. Nothing goes to waste. There is not one single boring moment. To hold the attention of an adult audience like this is good. But to do this with a children's audience is an astounding feat. The children don't stop laughing or engaging with it. There is a constant sound of pleased noise from the audience. I'd recommend you go and see this, even if you don't have a child or can't borrow somebody else's. Go and see this lovely clowning. ©Ariadne Cass 7th August 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Runs 10 - 20, Aug 2005 Company - Plutot La Vie.
Cry In The Dark. (Page 9). Drams
soft ones as they're underage.Venue The Underbelly. (Venue 61). Address 56 Cowgate. Reveiwer Ariadne Cass. The first thing to hit me about the cast of Cry in the Dark is their distinctly posh accents. And then I realise that this is, after all, a production by the pupils of a private school. According to the programme provided, 'the benches of Hogwarts are filled with current students.' Unfortunately I'm not a fan of the Harry Potter films. Cry In The Dark is an adaptation by Chris Barton from the original book by Dee Shulman. The tense of the script is odd, jumping from the past to the present. While this is a form which works for a book, our hero of this play, Ben Ryder, jumps confusingly from first person narration of past events to immediate dialogue in the present. It gets in the way of the actual acting. This is evidently a script which needs a little work, perhaps less of a direct transcript of the book. I like the staging of it. The props and set are minimal. The space is an almost pitch black cavern under George IV Bridge. The acoustics are wonderful. The incidental music is played live with a bass guitar, an acoustic guitar a viola and percussion, with great skill by Max Barton and Jonny Field. Sound effects off stage are also well conveyed. But the acting needs to feel more relaxed and the direction appears to have overlooked fairly elementary things such as blocking. Given the opportunity for physicality, it was disappointing to see this not used to its full extent. It is hard to believe in the twelve year old Ben Ryder, the bright yellow baseball cap does not imbue you with childlike innocence. And if you were a twelve year old boy wearing such a thing I would advise you to remove it before being set upon by cooler thugs. Elements of this play are very well done, but it is let down by careless direction and, at times, clumsy acting. But this is a young cast undertaking a full length Fringe run and they're learning. ©Ariadne Cass 13 August 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Runs 4-28 August 2005. Company - Westminster School.
The Dentist Chair. (Page 30). Drams
.Venue The Zoo (Venue 124). Address 140 The Pleasance. Reviewer Ruth Clowes. Ever wondered how a children's party entertainer might fare if forced into a career in dentistry? Me neither, but Wayne Slater apparently has, and from this unlikely premise leads us on a journey of mediocre magic tricks and embarrassing audience participation likely to have you canceling the magician and ordering a bouncy castle instead. In this one man show, Slater performs his tricks whilst lip synching to snippets of pop songs and old radio advertisements, which are played at an eardrum popping volume that will have you wincing as much as any dentists drill. The magic element of the show is standard fare, things appearing under previously empty cups, water poured into a pot turning into confetti when it is thrown into the audience, that kind of thing. The audience participation component is more successful, helping to bridge the gap that is created by the lack of direct interaction due to the incessant soundtrack. There has obviously been a lot of research and rehearsal time put into this performance, and as an idea it is certainly different, with Slater a likeable and lively performer. However, while it may be considerably more enjoyable than a trip to the dentist, it is difficult to extract more than a couple of laughs from El Loco's flawed production. © Ruth Clowes 22 August 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com. Runs to 27 August at 18:00 Company - El Loco. Company Website - www.elloco.co.uk
Dr Bunhead's Recipe for Disaster. (Page 9). Drams .Venue Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33). Address 60 The Pleasance. Reviewer Lyndsey Turner. Like a particularly naughty version of the Royal Society's annual Christmas lectures, Dr Bunhead's Recipe for Disaster is a hands on show for hands on people. As he moves through a series of experiments (each of which, he is at pains to point out, is rooted in science rather than stage trickery), he manages to delight and amuse the young audience with a series of ever more elaborate flashes and bangs. Highlights of the show include the moment when Bunhead sets fire to the top of his head courtesy of some particularly flammable hydrogen bubbles. Squeals and squeaks a plenty were heard when a potato was fired at a ridiculously high speed through a titanium-strung tennis racquet, creating the world's fastest chips. But Dr B doesn't seem to know exactly where he stands on whether or not science is cool enough to go it alone in a show like this. He resorts to some fairly desperate children's party entertainer tricks to punctuate the moments between flashes and bangs. Nobody, no matter what their age, needs to see a grown man dance around in his underpants until they are peeled off by a "sexy lady" in the audience. Nor can I account for the prodigiously high toilet-gag count. Farts and poos are Bunhead's stock-in-trade, and even some of the 6 year olds around me were beginning to get tired of the anal fixation before too long. Nonetheless, the show is innovative and at times educational, providing a good balance between the wow-factor and the textbook to keep the most demanding audience on the Fringe glued to their seats for an hour. ©Lyndsey Turner 26 August 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Runs until 28 Aug at 12.15. Company - Incidental Coleman.
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