Review Category: Events

by Ed Fortune

Superheroes have steadily taken over the world over the last couple of decades, and one of the ways you can tell is through the costumed characters that lurk on Hollywood Boulevard.

Inspired by various real-world events, Super is a two-hander about the sort of people who dress up as superheroes and get their pictures taken with tourists. For money.

We open with Batman, real name Rick (performed by a gravelly voiced Max Dowler), telling the story of what went down that fateful day, the one that made him go viral in all the wrong ways. Rick, who prefers to go by Batman, loves his job. He tells himself that it’s just temporary (and he’s auditioning for roles), but he really does love being Batman, even if it’s just on the streets. Which, let’s face it, is where Batman belongs.

His story has some holes, however. 

Then we meet Kathryn (performed by a broadly accented Charlie Vero-Martin), a British tourist with Hollywood dreams who ends up working on the Boulevard as Catwoman, thanks to Rick’s mentorship. Her side of the story, her relationship with both Batman and his side-kick, Robin, fills in the gaps. Gradually the two take turns until a tale of pettiness, jealousy, ego and hope is laid bare.

It’s a nice premise for a comedy-drama, and at about an hour, pretty much the right length. Though it lacks a certain sense of authenticity, it makes up for this with humour and strong performances.

The writing here is quick and funny, with a solid core of bitter-sweet comedy that keeps everyone engaged throughout. Super is essentially a show about relationship trauma that has a thin coating of Hollywood glitter. One for fans of gossip and superheroes. 

 

Super on at the Edinburgh Fringe until August 28th, 2023. You can get tickets here and find more details here.

 

 

 

by Ed Fortune

Hive is a nifty, low-key science fiction tale. We join conservationist Ria and her child, Salve, as they explore an unfinished high-rise building. Some sort of weird insect has made the construction its home, and Ria has dragged her daughter along to work in order to investigate.

This is a very warm, well-performed two-hander. Salve is angry that their life has changed recently and is very much the reluctant teenager as the pair explore what is essentially a haunted building. This is a show that explores change, grief and the loss of a loved one. It contains some mild peril and some brilliantly staged moments, which use lighting and simple props to transport the audience to the home of the Hive.

Creepy insects in a building is a nice premise for a show, and the storytelling is good. The pacing is a little flabby in the middle, and this is perhaps the primary antagonist of the story is sort of weak. The story relies on a villainous, greedy corporate type to move the story forward, who we never really meet; the two actors play the show’s main protagonists instead. Though the narrative has a few nods to this third character having actual motivations and needs, it just feels like they exist to be a foil for the main characters.

This, combined with the alien/supernatural weirdness of the show’s titular Hive, makes something of a disconnect. There’s an excellent, Doctor Who-style sci-fi story that’s really about people here, but it’s locked up in a story that relies too much on deus ex machina for plot resolution. Hive is one of those shows that feels like it’s part of a larger, more complicated story and thus lacks a certain something. However, excellent acting, direction, sound design and lighting make up for this mildly disappointing script. We do hope to see more science fiction from these creators soon.

You can find out more about the Mushmoss Collective and future performances of Hive here.

by Ed Fortune

Over at STARBURST Towers, we’ve seen a lot of science-fiction-themed stage productions, and one thing that keeps cropping up is the use of this genre to process trauma. From heartfelt explorations into childhood to simply using sci-fi fandom as a backdrop, this recurring theme exists because science fiction straddles fantasy and reality very well. 

Photon StarBlaster and the Suicidal Spaceship is perhaps one of the most overt uses of the theme we’ve seen. The show opens with renegade galactic agent Photon Starblaster in his rocket ship, blasting away from Earth to find his superior officer. He’s assisted by the ship’s computer, who is strangely more interested in flying into the heart of a black hole. Photon has to spend a lot of time convincing the ship to stay alive.

Then, with a simple change of lighting, we are returned to Earth. Photon is a 12-year-old boy with a very, very worried mother. Both are still grieving a recent loss but in different ways. We shuttle between reality and fantasy, the metaphors thick and the humour salty and keen. 

This is a show that talks, brutally and plainly, about how suicide impacts a family.

Using science fiction to deal with big, complicated and emotional issues is nothing new, as anyone who’s ever read Frankenstein can attest. What makes Photon StarBlaster and the Suicidal Spaceship work is a very warm, very honest performance. This is a courageous, charming, relevant and intelligent show performed with both passion and skill.

Beautifully done, go check it out.

Photon StarBlaster and the Suicidal Spaceship is on at the Edinburgh Fringe until the 27th August 2023. You can get tickets here. And you can find out more about the people behind the show here.

 

 

 

 

by Ed Fortune

Connor Ratliff has created an unusual piece of character comedy with his podcast, The George Lucas Talk Show. The main hosts are Ratliff as George Lucas, Griffin Newman as Watto and Patrick Cotnoir as himself, though he is also the show’s producer. The central gag of the show is that Ratliff is a whimsical and pompous parody of Lucas, and Newman is a hyped-up space bug with anxiety issues. The fact that the comedian is also in tight blue spandex with a strap-on elephant trunk toy on his nose just adds to the effect.

This is a talk show, so obviously, it has guests; when we saw it, the guests were Eden Sher (best known for The Middle and Star vs The Forces of Evil) and Mock the Week comedian Ed Gamble. As this is a show happening during the Edinburgh Fringe, the bulk of the conversation focused on that. This was kind of nice; after a long week of watching shows and socialising, it’s fun to watch people decompress in an entertaining way. 

She shared a story about shenanigans at her own show (which Ratliff had also witnessed), and Fringe stories began to be traded. Ed Gamble denied being an ‘Edinburgh Fringe Darling’, claiming instead to be a mainstay, having attended the Fringe for almost 20 years at this point. (One could argue that to be a Fringe Darling, you need your own branded gin, but that’s beside the point.) Gamble also talked about his diabetes, which allowed Ratliff to dive back into his George Lucas character, as the Star Wars director has their own page on the Diabetes UK website.

The show carried on in this charming, haphazard style, which at one point turned into a transatlantic ‘prank’ phone call. The real star of the show here was Griffin Newman, who kept the flow going by adding lots of in-character anarchy as Watto.    

A cult smash, The George Lucas Talk Show only runs on a Friday evening and does so run until quite late, which makes it a great end to a busy day at the fringe. It’s fun, but the show already has a firm fan following, so book ahead if you plan on seeing it.

The George Lucas Talk Show is part of the Edinburgh Fringe until August 25th. You can book tickets here and find out more about the George Lucas Talk Show here.

by Ed Fortune

The Baron And The Junk Dealer is very much a mix of many worlds. It’s sit-com-style space fantasy mixed with a morality play that began life as a talk-show podcast. Namely, the George Lucas Talk Show, a popular podcast hosted by comedians Connor Ratliff and Griffin Newman, who take on the roles of George Lucas and Watto, respectively. They stay in character during these podcasts, occasionally breaking the fourth wall for a gag or two, interviewing other creators whilst trying to stay in character. It’s a fun gimmick.

The Baron And The Junk Dealer is a sci-fi comedy-drama featuring Ratliff and Newman. It sees a white-bearded, god-like alien and a blue-skinned bug-like alien stranded on a lost and mostly forgotten asteroid, and it’s set in a galaxy that is absolutely not far, far away or even a long time ago.

The main way you can tell it’s not connected to Star Wars is that it’s far, far funnier than anything in that franchise. It’s also strangely deep. It would be lazy to describe this as a geeky, space fantasy take on Waiting For Godot,  but it’s a reasonable point of reference. This odd pairing of creatures, the aristocratic Baron and the repugnant Junk Dealer, works really well. Newman is especially sharp here, parrying Ratliff’s imperious wit with sarcasm and anger.

There are some easy-running gags throughout, and a few scenes that are pure sitcom silliness, as well a few Gilligan’s Island vibes that will mostly go over the heads of a UK audience and yet still be funny. This is a show produced by two people who have real chemistry and are comfortable taking risks with a narrative. They are a delight to watch on stage. Very funny and very smart, The Baron And The Junk Dealer will delight science fiction and comedy fans alike. 

The Baron And The Junk Dealer is part of the Edinburgh Fringe until August 28th. You can book tickets here and find out more about the George Lucas Talk Show here.

by Ed Fortune

One of the cornerstones of the Sherlock Holmes canon is The Final Problem, the story in which Sherlock faces his arch-nemesis Moriarty and, after an encounter at the Reichenbach Falls, is presumed dead. The original story was an attempt for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to stop writing Holmes stories, but this didn’t last long, thanks to an early example of fan pressure getting a popular fictional character returned to the media.

Watson: The Final Problem is a one-man show starring Tim Marriott as Doctor Watson. It has been a number of years since Sherlock went missing, and the good doctor seeks to set the record straight as to the events of that faithful day, but not before giving us a detailed account of his adventures with the world’s greatest detective. The narrative brushes across other notable Holmes stories in a way that feels natural and sort of charming.

Marriot’s Watson is the competent, intelligent companion and friend to Sherlock. You can tell that this show has been co-written and co-created with Bert Coules, who wrote The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for the BBC, as it has a strong radio-drama/BBC vibe to it. The sound design is spot on – this is a very well-produced show.

Marriot’s performance is mesmerising and deep. If you’re a fan of detective fiction, you probably know the story already, but this adaptation breathes fresh life into a beloved tale. Marriot’s is Doctor Watson.

This is a fun and entertaining take on a famous story. Seek it out if you can. 

 

Watson: The Final Problem is part of the Edinburgh Fringe until August 28th. You can book tickets here and find out more about the show (including tour information) here.

By Anne-Louise Fortune

Yippee Ki Yay (the Die Hard Parody) is a show that almost entirely does what it says in its title – albeit it has some surprises up its sleeve. 

If you know the film starring Bruce Willis, then you know what you’re in for here. If you don’t, the spoilers are frequent. Rest assured; you will still understand what is going on.

Performed here by Darrel Bailey, who brings immense warmth to his performance, the story is told through performance poetry – specifically an AABB rhyming scheme, with very occasional asides to interact with the audience in ordinary prose.

Written by Richard Marsh, you would imagine it would be challenging enough to squeeze the plot of everyone’s favourite Christmas movie into 60 minutes. As well as achieving this, Marsh has also crafted a framing device regarding the performer’s character’s relationship with his wife, Jen.

As we learn more about the trajectory of this relationship, we learn more about the couple’s relationship with the movie and how a lapse in affection for the film mirrors a slow collapse in the closeness of the couple’s marriage.

Bailey acts out key moments and scenes from the movie: the waterfall reproduction is especially funny. His impersonation of Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber is a perfect parody. Getting fully into the John McClane vibe, by the end of the performance, Bailey has shed his plaid shirt and is dressed in a ‘blood-soaked’ white vest.

Performed with energy and verve, this is an excellent homage to Die Hard and the obsession that often arises within fandom. 

Yippee Ki Yay continues at the Edinburgh Fringe until August 27th, before touring across the UK, followed by performances in selected US cities. 

 

by Anne-Louise Fortune

Trojan Women, staged at The Festival Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, takes the traditional Greek myth of the sacking of Troy and its aftermath and adapts it to be presented in a Korean theatrical tradition.

Directed by Ong Keng Sen, working with the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, the story is epic in scope. Presented in the pansori (Korean folk opera) style, the company of twenty-five, singing in Korean with English captions, delivers a mesmerising performance.

The Trojan War has endured for almost a decade. The Greeks have sent their sons across the sea to fight, and many of them have never returned to their homeland. As the action of the performance begins, almost all the men of Troy have been killed in battle, and any remaining in the city have been slaughtered by the Greeks who had hidden in the Trojan Horse. Those who remain are women and children, and the queen, Hecabe (Kim Kum-mi), is all too aware that both she and her female relatives will now be reduced to being held as slaves or concubines, depending on the decisions the remaining Greek men make for them. 

As the narrative continues, we meet Hecabe’s daughters, including Cassandra (Yi So-yeon). Cassandra has the gift of foresight, but the curse to never be believed. Whilst the other women rightly fear their unknown futures, Cassandra has a sense of defiance that comes from the certainty of knowing the fate of the man who will be attempting to control her. The narrative is brutal, violent, and at times disturbing. 

The performances of the entire cast are incredible. Contained in one moment and expansive in others, the cast makes the huge stage of the Festival Theatre seem alternatively intimate and overwhelming. The device of moving characters through the auditorium invites the audience to consider what their role in this story could be. It is clear that we are not just a passive audience. This participation, a trademark of pansori, may be confronting to a British audience used to placing distance between themselves and the performers. 

Whilst superficially, this is a retelling of an ancient Greek myth, this story has been used for centuries to make broader points, often about the futility of war and the devastating consequences for its survivors. Here, it is also possible to read that the production is asking us to consider the plight of women who are having their human rights restricted, especially in relation to their own bodily autonomy. The production is not prepared to offer easy solutions, recognising that Hecabe has brought this situation on herself through her own actions.

Korean folk opera is perhaps a lesser-known theatrical form in the United Kingdom. If you are familiar with the conventions of Beijing Opera, then you will note similarities in the musical style and the delivery of the performance, but the music overall is less discordant: more melodic. There are references to the K-Pop music style weaved throughout the score. There are also elements that will bring to mind theatrical practices across the continent of Asia more generally, from the musicians framing the performance area to the stylised nature of individual performances. It is a fascinating mix, all of which blended superbly in this production. 

by Ed Fortune

One of the things that defines British horror is remote, rural areas. There’s something about farmland, terrible weather and endless mud that makes it perfect for scary stories. The Hunger is a survival horror tale about a mother and daughter who own and live on a pig farm somewhere in Yorkshire. 

As the story opens, we swiftly learn that some sort of pandemic has led to the pair staying isolated. Megan is a teenager who is mostly bored, lonely and sick of her mother, Deborah, who insists that she eats something. Anything.

The disease, according to Deborah, has come from processed food and being farmers, they seem to be safe on their own land. The farm itself is still very active and needs constant attention. Outsiders are very much not welcome, as we learn very early on. This lends an increasing sense of claustrophobia and creeping dread to the piece. There’s a ticking clock in the form of a dwindling supply of food, a growing threat (outsiders) and dramatic tension as Megan rails against her mother’s strict rule. The result of this set-up is a remarkable, tense and brilliant hour of theatre.

The stage is quite minimal; wooden panels for the windows of the cottage, a heavy kitchen table and, of course, an ever-present gun. It is a working farm, after all. The performances are quite simply staggering; the dialogue flows naturally, and it’s impossible not to feel for these two outsiders trapped in a world gone wrong. Effortlessly engaging, dark and very topical, this is an extraordinary and strange production. A must for fans of apocalyptic horror and a gripping hour of theatre for everyone else. Recommended.

The Hunger is part of the Edinburgh Fringe until August 28th. You can book tickets here and find out more about the show (including tour information) here.

by Ed Fortune

Ray Bradbury is broadly regarded as one of the most influential science fiction writers of the 20th century. His work has been adapted many, many times, and his core ideas have stood the test of time. This is impressive when you consider that much of his work is over 70 years old.

Tomorrow’s Child can be best described as weird fiction. It’s set in the futuristic world of 1988 (the story was published in 1948), and incredibly safe and advanced machines now deliver babies. Unfortunately for expectant parents Polly and Peter, their child, though perfectly healthy, was born into another dimension, which means they look strange to anyone in our dimension. The story tracks Polly and Peter’s struggles as they try and raise this strange looking being, which they name Py. Despite the weird premise, it’s intensely personal at times. As you can expect, a story like this is pretty difficult to adapt to the stage. 

Ghost River Theatre’s solution is to turn the story into a soundscape experience. When you arrive at the performance, attendants in lab coats ask you to wear a blindfold and then carefully lead you to your seat. There is a critical point during the performance when you are meant to remove the blindfold. Safety is paramount, but you do need the blindfold to enjoy the show properly.

The performance is essentially an incredibly elaborate audio drama. A lot of clever technical audio work has gone into producing a dense and multi-layered experience, but this is mostly an audio-only experience. However, combined with the way it’s staged, this really works. 

It’s a strange and slightly uncomfortable story, and because you have to sit and listen, you become very focused on the narrative and its outcome.

Tomorrow’s Child is a weird story told in an unusual way. This format modernises the story without actually making any changes, and the tale is as relevant (and as strange) today as it was back in the 1940s. A unique theatre experience and a delight for fans of retro science fiction.

Tomorrow’s Child runs at the Edinburgh Fringe until the 28th of August, 2023. You can find out more about Ghost River Theatre here.