#1. Green Tea and Zen Baka
David WW Johnstone
Dance Base @ 10.15
This is the most calming, grounding start to the day. Hidden in a secret garden atop Dance Base, Johnstone's captivating, gentle blend of mime, Baka and humour is minimalistic, performative meditation. The performance belongs as much to the space as it does to Johnstone's Baka, with the wind and sun playing characters in their own way; the sun, for instance, is first aggressive but then dances through the leaves on the trees stroking Johnstone's face in his peacefulness. This performance must owe it's enchanting air to the interplay between performer and space, joining with the nature around to create the piece, and this must in turn make it wholly different each day as the weather changes. A stunning escape from the rush of the festival, proving how much can be achieved in minimalism and simplicity.
#2. Cleansed by Sarah Kane
Fear No Colours
C Nova @ 13.00
Fear No Colour's production of Kane's challenging Cleansed is bold and fearless, with one or two strong performances standing out from a committed though not expert cast, making for an intensely engaging production despite its flaws.
I first read Sarah Kane's Blasted five years ago. In that same night, I finished the 'Complete Works' collection I had bought only days before. I was hooked. I have revisted her plays time and time again, and was keen to see this production.
It doesn't disappoint in terms of tackling the violence head on, not shying away from the difficult material. But the play is far more than the list of atrocities critics like to list when describing Kane's plays as if they give you any notion of what the play is about. And this young company make a valiant attempt at this very difficult play.
Sadly, presumably due to budgetary concerns, production values are extremely low, which sacrifices some of the contextual grounding of the piece. In absence of prior knowledge, the piece may seem to exist in a complete non-place, a theatrical limbo, rather than the university grounds reappropriated as a form of concentration camp. Kane's more hopeful visual images are also missed; the sunflower bursting through the floor boards, the blinding lights, the contrasting surroundings of the various rooms. This, to me, is a real shame. These images drive home the hope underpinning the seemingly bleak play, leaving it indulging in the violence.
What is there, though, is adequate enough on the whole. It is a mixed bag in terms of the cast, Erfan Shojanoori's Tinker is lacking in authority and strength, while Raymond Wilson's Robin risks being overwrought and strained. Callum Partridge's Rod seems misjudged and Hannah Torbitt's surprisingly chaste, reserved Woman all but fades into the background. On the other hand, Siofra Dromgoole is engaging as Grace and finds her match in Lourenço de Almeida's flexing Graham. Samuel Skoog's Carl stands head and shoulders above the rest; as Carl is progressively more and more mutilated Skoog's performance is sensitive and powerful at once. A perfectly pitched, sympathetic and detailed performance.
The piece is let down by some simplistic direction and overly choreographic (for my money) sections which seem to jar with the mood of the rest of the piece.
But Sarah Kane's work shines through, and for that the production deserves its due. The use of syringes of blood to signify the severing of limbs, as well as the very smart inclusion of a recording of Kane herself reminding us that to see the source of the violence in her plays one must only open any newspaper, are some very smart touches. Kane's genius is allowed to shine through, and the cast are incredibly committed to doing justice to her play. Commendable, though far from perfect.
(Fear No Colours are also, bravely, staging Kane's Phaedra's Love this year).
#3. Joan, Babs & Shelagh too
Gemskii // Conscious Theatre
Zoo Southside @ 14.55
Full disclosure: I was involved in the early stages of exploration/development of a piece planned with this name, produced by Conscious Theatre, which for a variety of reasons did not come to fruition this year. Gemskii, a performer and theatre-maker who sparked the initial project, took on the central concerns of the piece - the life, work and influence of director Joan Littlewood - and has created a one-woman show. I won't say too much, as it feels wrong to plug a show that I am intertwined with, except that Gemskii's show is a fun, largely improvised look at the life of Joan and those around her. It's on for the rest of the festival, so check it out if you're interested in finding out a bit more.
#4. Black
Le Gateau Chocolat
Assembly Hall @ 16.50
Le Gateau Chocolat's new, autobiographical piece is a stunning piece of theatre, blurring likes between drag, cabaret and storytelling. Le Gateau Chocolat gives an astounding, honest, vulnerable performance in an expertly crafted story about his own struggles through racism, homophobia and being made to feel like a 'black sheep'.
The piece was made in collaboration with director Ed Burnside, and together Black is a tightly honed, emotionally raw but not self-indulgent piece that we all can relate to in our own experiences of feeling an outsider. There are some stunning musical choices, from Purcell to Whitney Houston, sung in his trademark deliciously tone, which help tell the story enthrallingly, all accompanied by a superb live pianist. There is delightful use of projection, a good helping of self-deprecating humour and some witty costume choices, Black deals delicately but not shyly with depression and loss.
The highlight of my Fringe so far, I cannot recommend Le Gateau Chocolat's Black highly enough.
#5. COSMOnauts
Ryan Good
Underbelly Cowgate @ 18.50
After a last minute change of plans, I ended up grabbing tickets for Ryan Good's latest comedy show, COSMOnauts. He is a fantastic comedian, storyteller and all-round entertainer with a unique brand of confused sex-based self-deprecation using his own life - and Cosmopolitan's top 10 list of sex tips - as a catalyst for his shows. I somehow ended up onstage as his not-so-glamorous assistant, and ended up sharing stories some of my closest friends don't know (much to the gratification of the audience) and by the end was 'married' with Haribo rings to a long-haired, bearded American I had never met before. This show is bound to delight, if you're one for somewhat risqué humour! Check it out.
#6. Nina Simone: Soul Sessions
Apphia Campbell
Assembly Checkpoint @ 20.50
Part two of a celebration of Nina Simone by the superb Apphia Campbell, this show is a study of the influence of Simone's sublime music on Campbell's own life. A great selection of songs, performed with panache, and plenty of laughs, by Campbell in a tour-de-force performance. Accompanied by musical director Joe Louis Robinson, complete with almost finger-breaking piano solos, Soul Sessions is musical dynamite.
More to come...
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