Cling film

A long lunch with friends, and then more times at the Fringe.

Fringe show 9: The Sleeping Trees’ Odyssey (3.5*)
A reimagining of the Odyssey from three actors playing a variety of roles. I thought it might be pretentious or ridiculous but actually it struck a very good balance between being silly and clever. All of the guys had presence and likeability and I genuinely enjoyed it. They were dressed entirely in white and were filthy by the end. Dirty dirty venue. An act to keep an eye on, I think. I expect good things in the future.

Fringe show 10: Slightly Fat Features (4*)
An interesting one, this one. A straightforward low brow cabaret show with singing and juggling and the like. But, not so straightforward too. I liked it enough for what it was, it was visual and amusing and it passed the time quickly. The guys were likeable and engaging and I’d like them to be my uncles. My friend went on stage and we laughed at him. But it was more, too, a very slick parody of sorts. Not quite spot on, scripted mistakes carefully woven in and very self deprecating. Silly and cheap in places. Odd choices of acts and props. Not the sort of thing middle aged men should be doing. Awkward. Brilliant. A song and dance routine about hot beans which was both technically excellent and almost embarrassing. I thought it might have been genius.

Fringe show 11: East End Cabaret – Dirty Talk (4*)
My favourite act of last year, Bernie and Victy put on a cabaret show with filthy songs and banter. Most amusing and clever and a very high musical standard. I love the characters – Bernie with her sensual confidence and Victy with her sweetness and likeability and creepy stalkerish adoration of Bernie. Good, but I would have liked to see more songs.

Fringe show 12: Boris & Sergey II Perilous Escapade
There’s a certain kind of puppet that I find creepy and sinister, the ones that don’t speak directly or don’t have features or are operated by people who you can see but are not part of the puppet itself and do not interact with the puppet other than operating it. This hit all of my pain points. I’m sure it was very good, but I just don’t get it. I don’t feel in a position to rate this one. Shudder.