Marta Mari. Theatre Director. Arts Manager

Return to the Voice (Poland)
Song of the Goat Theatre Company
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014
Summerhall @ St. Gile's Cathedral
Jaw-dropping

The show starts with a short concert of Scottish musicians performing traditional songs in Gaelic. Then a short documentary is shown about the process/research that the creative team of the Song of the Goat Theatre Company undertook. Both of these are a nice introduction to the main part of this production: a concert of traditional Gaelic, folk songs interpreted by the company. And here I want to say that for me this isn’t a theatre production and I’m baffled as to why it is included in a Fringe theatre category rather than the music one… It is a concert. Not just any concert, though. It is an extraordinary one! From the very first sounds that come from twelve performers it is obvious we are in for a musical feast of the highest quality. I was amazed by Grzegorz Bral’s precision and meticulousness that enabled a creation of such an impressive unity of the ensemble. The harmony and vibrancy was glorious. I was delighted by Anna Maria Jopek’s solos. Her voice is angelic and it was breathtaking to listen to it spreading around the old walls of St. Giles Cathedral. Whist listening to these perfectly performed Gaelic songs I couldn’t help but wondering about the identity of Scottish people and how it relates to the upcoming Referendum. I was amazed how accurate the title of this project is: Return to the voice is all about the voice. In the context of this production and also, metaphorically to the decision people living in Scotland will have to make soon. It is about the voice of an individual to be heard among many as well as the voice of a collective-a nation that undoubtedly has its own identity within diversity, its enchanting beauty and power that comes from the roots of its creation.  Respectably, putting aside political debates about economic, historic and social contexts, I allowed myself to just feel and listen to my intuition, which in vast majority of decisions is right…Sometimes we get lost in logical analysis and to find the way back to ourselves all we have to do is take a moment and listen to our inner voice-return to our voice. And this production certainly inspires and enables us to do so…

Last Call
Teatro Labora (Finland)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014
@ C Cubed
Pleasantly surprised

It starts rather silly. Highly stylized solo performance accompanied by banal music and a subject matter is boozing championships. “It’s going to be a tough hour”- I thought to myself after first several minutes of watching the show. Although I wasn’t really engaged in it, I was listening to what was being said with somewhat skeptical attitude. But after a while, among many words and jokes, I heard a sentence I thought had a deeper meaning and then another and slowly I actually became interested in the show. Before the hour was up and the show was almost over, Juhe Hippi had my full and undivided attention. He’s worked so hard to get it, but man, I’m glad he did. Last Call, co-written and co-directed by Juhe Hippi and Mikko Raty is a brilliantly constructed piece of theatre. Hippi’s performance is highly imaginative and full of various forms. Through the eyes of several characters from different countries we take a look at effects of drinking alcohol, its culture (or lack of it), and mindlessness of the habit. What I love about that text is that, although it is about drinking, it doesn’t deal with alcoholism, per se. And that makes all the difference because so many people can relate to this story. Last Call is an important production. It challenges, inspires and forces audience to think. Hipp’s performance is excellent. He flips between various characters, including a Spirit of the Bottle, to finish with a personal message that is just a perfect end of the show. It is another solo piece that is personal and honest and made me feel truly pleasantly surprised.

Broken Dolls
Patere Theatrum (USA)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014
@ C Cubed
Decent but not life changing

I have mixed feelings about the story, created by Matthew Ackland. On one hand, it is an important subject as the problem is much larger and more common than it seems. On the other, similar stories have been heard of, talked about and presented at Fringe before. A young Moldovan woman is being tricked into believing that she’s leaving for a job as a receptionist in a hotel in Budapest. But after being brutally raped and humiliated, she ends up in a Turkish brothel. Sad, tragic story. Again, technically, well written but I got a feeling something was missing. It lacks some sort of message. I mean, who is this play for, really? However, four actors are doing a fabulous job. I was especially impressed with Daniel Deutsch who played the pimp Milos. He was so believable in his role that I was seriously wondering if he was indeed an actor! Really well done! Design elements were rather poor: sloppy set design, too loud sound effects and unimaginative music. It is obvious that the director Peter Kelley focused his efforts on acting. Rightly so, but it’s a shame the design doesn’t support the efforts of a great cast.

Notoriously Yours
Five Point One Theatre Company (Australia)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014
@ C South
Decent but not life-changing

I’ve seen it number of times: a story technically well written, fine acting, precise direction, clear design choices. In one sentence: a decent production. But, so what?! The problem is that the story fails to engage me. I can’t relate to it. I couldn’t care less about the characters. So, really, it’s a waste of my time…What keeps me on edge in theatre is a story. A story with characters full of complexities made of flesh and blood, and ones I have feeling about. Unfortunately, the story written by Van Badham, and the characters in Notoriously Yours are non of that.

A man and a woman meet for sex via online dating site. He happens to be Snowden, and she is a thirty something, nymphomaniac daughter of former Balkan war criminal that found asylum in Australia, where the story takes place. After a night spent together Snowden disappears and she gets a visit from a secret police that blackmail her to travel to Singapore to act as a spy to get insight into another Balkan criminal from her past. Snowden is portrayed as a guy who sleeps with a different woman each night-there’s nothing more to him, really. The woman is rather silly, works in a store, doesn’t seem to bright, and doesn’t have great relationship with her father and yet he is the reason she agrees to cooperate with the police. None of these characters and their choices seem believable to me…I don’t relate to this story. It’s a shame, really, because, as mentioned earlier, all the elements of the production were very good. I would certainly like to see the work of this team on a more engaging and important story. They might then rock!

Huggers-Family Friendly Comedy and Cabaret
by Nik Coppin
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014 (Free Festival)
Laughing Horse @ Free Sisters
I don't get it

A nice, eye-catching poster of two bunnies hugging each other. An image with no reference to the show whatsoever. The title-Huggers-Family Friendly Comedy and Cabaret. The only reference to the show is when the presenter Nik Coppin at the beginning of the show asks the audience to hug one another. And that would be it. What this show is, is a sample showcase of three stand-up comedians who have their own individual comedy acts for adults and use this so called “family friendly comedy and cabaret” to promote their adult show to parents that brought their kids believing it’s something for the kids. And of course buy tickets. Or maybe, the comedians wanted to try performing for the kids-in which case, they need to spend considerably more time with kids to see what really appeals to kids without putting nonsense into their heads. Because most of their jokes were balancing on the verge of disrespect for young children’s inability of critical thinking. Most of the jokes were rather about kids, which made some parents giggle but many people seemed disappointed. OK, personally I don’t like stand up comedy. There is maybe a handful of comedians around the world whose jokes are funny to me. I do respect comedians, though. I think they are a really brave lot getting up on the stage wanting to make people laugh. The more I don’t get why three smart and experienced comedians decided to be part of this? For me, the effect was contrary to the goal. Rather than wanting to see their acts I wanted to leave the venue as soon as the house lights wen up.

The Bridge by Annie George (Edinburgh)
Just Festival as part of
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014
@St. John's Church
Pleasantly surprised

I’ve been wondering lately what makes a good solo piece? It is a very difficult for one performer to keep audience engaged the whole show. Annie George, in a smart direction of Sarah McDonald, gently yet confidently tells the story of her Keralan family keeping the audience attention throughout the show. Annie’s text is a piece of fine, rich and mature writing in which she explores concepts of identity, destiny, courage and family relationships, to name just a few. Annie’s performance is powerful, emotional and moving. Watching The Bridge only reassured me that some of the best solo pieces are the ones written by the performer. They are personal, honest and a real delight to watch. The Bridge is all that.

BRUSH  by Theatre Haddangse (South Korea)
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014
C Venue
Pleasantly surprised

I really like shows from Korea. There is always some sort of delicacy in them. In the show for young audiences Brush, actors’ commitment to the storytelling and their own craft is impressive. Respect for their audience can be almost touched. The show directed by Kil Jun Lee is abundant in highly imaginative concepts of the use of recyclable materials to create a world in which five actors portray multiple characters. They paint the set gracefully for almost every scene. The show is dynamic and the movement choreographed meticulously. A live musician (Sangkon Seo) plays six instruments throughout the show mesmerizing the audience with various sounds and beautiful, originally composed music. My three-year old daughter was intrigued by sounds coming out of golden accordion that sparkled. I was most amazed by three flats with painted tree on them that suddenly became a moving peacock.  The story line was sometimes difficult to follow due to the performance being in Korean. There were some English key words, which helped a bit. Nevertheless, the show can understood and enjoyed as there is a lot of non verbal action. And here is a thing that struck me when I was watching this show: All the magic was created in front of us. There was very little mystery but that’s a good thing in this case as it sends an important message to children: you can create excellent theatre using simple, everyday objects, paint the world of your story, use your old xylophone or drum-it’s only a matter of your imagination. The children leave the theatre empowered, inspired and confident, because they've seen how the show’s done. And to be able to share one’s imagination so generously and openly with the audience is an art in itself.

More info and tickets:

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/brush_

I see a lot of theatre in general. Some good, some not so good, often decent but rather safe and boring and every once in a while a brilliant one.  For quite a while now I haven’t seen anything jaw-dropping. Masterpieces, in which every single element of theatrical production is extraordinary, are very rare theses days. At least in Scotland. Of course, I have my theory as to why is that but this is rather larger subject for another post.  So this summer I’m on a quest to find a production that would truly inspire, amaze and or challenge me. Be it a script, acting, staging or whatever.

I usually don’t write about theatre I see but this year I decided to write about my experiences. The shows are chose to see are a mixture of: a) browsing Fringe brochure looking for things that would catch my attention: productions from abroad, solo pieces, and other things hard to explain; b) shows I was invited to; c) free shows; d) productions of local artists I know or whose work I’m curious about.  

In a way I’ll review them. I won’t use a star system, as I’m not a critic. Besides, star system is overrated, abused and can be misleading. Instead, I came up with my own four descriptions: 1) jaw-dropping 2) I don’t get it 3) pleasantly surprised 4) decent but not life changing.

These are personal and do not reflect star system. Something that surprises me might be normal for you. When my jaw drops, you might yawn. What I don’t get, you might delight yourself in.  So do challenge me! Do recommend shows-both jaw-dropping and things you don’t get. What I’m after is: innovation, experimentation, risks taking and genuine fun.

Let the quest begin!