The Beast's Pen

In the interests of fairness, I have to begin this review by saying that this particular performance was marred by accidents with props and set which seemed to affect actors’ concentration and that (perhaps mercifully) the running time was over 10 minutes shorter than advertised. However, it is very difficult to see how even a perfect run-through could have improved this dreadful effort, developed from a concept devised by Belgian theatre maker Valentijn Dhoenens. Three actors (Clara van den Broek, Korneel Hamers and Dhoenens) take turns to face each other as prosecutor and accused at the beginning of a succession of proceedings for criminal offences. Drab staging and dull dialogue (presumably verbatim) are occasionally embellished by absurdist motions by actors that seem out of place and completely meaningless, but, otherwise, the “play” is devoid of drama, emotion and purpose.

Performance date: 19 August 2015

No more than inspired by George Orwell’s first published work (1933), David Byrne’s play links two stories – the middle class aspiring writer Eric Blair (Orwell, played by Richard Delaney) experiencing a life of deprivation in 1930s Paris and the middle class Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee (Carole Street) going undercover to investigate how the poor get by in modern London. Put together, the piece plays like a missive from a generation believing that Socialism can provide answers to one that knows for certain that it cannot. The Orwell story carries hope, Toynbee leaves us in despair. Orwell described a rich array of characters, none of them sufficiently developed here, whilst Toynbee’s account is factual and preachy, concluding with the view that the poor pay a higher price for everything. Past and present clearly reflect each other, but, in this play, the two tenses never properly knit together.

Performance date: 19 August 2015

Adapted from the autobiography of Josh Kilmer-Purcell, this one-hour monologue lays bare the world of an alcoholic drag queen in 1990s New York. A performer in seedy clubs, he is picked up by a cocaine-addicted male prostitute and the pair struggle to form a meaningful relationship amidst the chaos of both their lives. The performance of Tom Stuart (also the adaptor) is a tour de force that lifts this show well above the ordinary. Brazenly flamboyant in drag, he shows us a self-destructive and lonely man, clinging to the wreckage of his life whilst yearning for greater fulfilment. The closing scenes represent as perfect a summation of leaving behind wild youth and reaching some sort of destination as could ever be seen.

Performance date: 19 August 2015

Tim Norton and Jo Billington’s pastiche of 1920s British murder mysteries features a company of well over 20 cramming into a very small stage. A High Court Judge is found murdered in the library of his Hampstead home and in steps a bungling Scotland Yard detective, followed quickly by a suave (and gay) private investigator. The writers direct the piece themselves, marshalling the performers with impressive precision and carrying it through at a breathless pace. The only quibble is that they overdo the jokiness, unnecessary in a genre that, to a modern audience, is already a pastiche of itself. The play could have been a lot more entertaining and funnier if it had taken itself more seriously.

Performance date:19 August 2015

At times harrowing and, at other times, breathtakingly beautiful, Stef Smith’s play is a heartfelt study of the lives of three young women, played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Anita Vettesse and Emily Wachter. One is agoraphobic and anorexic, the other two reach out to each other, making tentative attempts to forge a friendship. Loneliness and self-harm are prevalent themes throughout. Smith occasionally fails to provide a strong enough context for the drama and Orla O’Loughlin’s spare production does not help her. However, the lyricism in the writing and the raw emotion in the three performances provide ample compensation.

Performance date: 19 August 2015

The saying that humour does not travel could provide the explanation for Hristo Boychev’s comedy failing to make any impact in Edinburgh. The Bulgarian writer’s play (translated by Steve King) centres on four tramps stuck in a railway station waiting for a train. It has the absurdist feel of Samuel Beckett and, in its later stages, it takes on board obscure existentialist themes, but Russell Bolam’s dragging production hits the buffers early on. The big mystery is why the esteemed Scottish actor John Hannah should have chosen to become involved. At this performance, audience members began to walk out after about 10 minutes, but, to be fair, there were a few pockets of laughter (from Bulgarians perhaps?) towards the end. As a postscript, news stories of refugees trekking along railway tracks in Eastern Europe may lead to questioning whether Boychev was on to something of modern relevance. But, no, that is just a fleeting thought; this is still a turkey.

Performance date: 18 August 2015

Are there any tragic clowns left who have not been given the fringe theatre monologue treatment? As told here, Charles Hawtrey’s greatest achievement was gaining third billing in the Carry On… films and, looked back on more than 25 years after his death, maybe he was never better than third division amongst comedy actors. Dave Ainsworth’s play focusses on the Carry On… years, when Hawtrey was probably never sufficiently sober to to take on prominent roles and all he could do was bitch about producers under-valuing and under-paying him. After all, he protests, he once performed with Will Hay and was directed by Alfred Hitchcock (in Sabotage). Apart from gin, Hawtrey’s other passion was for young boys and he was known for flaunting his homosexuality shamelessly in days when that was not quite the thing to do. His clashes with Kenneth Williams provide some of the best anecdotes related in the play. Jamie Rees is less gaunt than Hawtrey is remembered, but he captures the sadness of a man fading rapidly into drunken oblivion, deluding himself as to his stature as an actor yet still seeking the recognition he believes he deserves.

Performance date: 18 August 2015

Apart from vaguely remembering that he starred in a few decent American films 20 and more years ago, Gary Busey is a name that means very little to me, so I am not quite sure why I was persuaded that this celebration of his over-the-top cult status night be of interest. It seems as if Mr Busey’s most recent achievement of note was winning Celebrity Big Brother, which speaks for itself, but, as Benedict C is busy elsewhere, why shouldn’t he have a crack at playing Hamlet? David Carl, who plays Busey is also the writer and, thankfully, the show lasts for less than a third of the running time of the original and contains hardly any actual Shakespeare. The jokes are crude and predictable, but Carl sells it all with vigour, his persistent yelling ensuring that no-one falls asleep (perhaps beating Benedict on that score). In the end, it is a mildly amusing hour and nowhere near as bad as it sometimes threatens to become.

Performance date: 17 August 2015

When a show is produced by the National Theatre of Scotland, written by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), directed by Vicky Featherstone (artistic director of the Royal Court) and has “West End hit” written all over it, what on earth is it doing in a fringe festival? Hall has adapted Alan Warner’s novel The Sopranos, concerning six pupils from the convent girls’ school of the show’s title who go to Edinburgh to take part in a choir contest and proceed to wreak havoc in Auld Reekie. It is raucous, raunchy and very, very rude, the sort of thing likely to have Miss Jean Brodie turning in her grave. The six, played by Melissa Allan, Caroline Deyga, Karen Fishwick, Kirsty MacLaren, Frances Mayli McCann and Dawn Sievewright make St Trinians look like a cosy tea part. And when, accompanied by a three-piece band, they transform into something like The Spice Girls + 1 and go to work on hits of The Electric Light Orchestra and others, they become an irresistible force. The show moves between very funny and hilarious, but it also finds room for poignancy with unrequited love, unwanted pregnancy and serious illness raising their heads. This is an exhilarating show and one that we can expect to hear a lot more of.

Performance date: 18 August 2015

It’s Friday night in a UK provincial city and the guys and gals are on the razzle. Shane is coordinating things, topping up his suntan and arming himself with plenty of vodka, cocaine and viagra. Jim Cartwright’s one-hour play captures the excitement of temporary escape from humdrum lives and also hints at the emptiness of the experiences for young people who are beginning to realise that they could be looking for something more meaningful. This production is enlivened by a high energy performance from (confusingly) James Cartwright as the laddish Shane, who carries the piece through at breakneck speed and develops a strong rapport with the audience.

Performance date: 17 August 2015