101 ***
If the intention of 101 is to push us to define our own boundaries, it doesn’t really push hard enough; everything’s well within the tolerance of a typical Fringe audience. But it seems more likely the intention is to give people the power to opt out, then show them that they don’t need to use it, even when doing things that might be a little way outside their normal theatre comfort zone.
Odyssey ****
This is Schrödinger’s Odyssey: it’s neither Homer’s Ancient Greek epic, nor is it wholly Dominic J Allen’s mid-apocalyptic refashioning, yet it’s both.
The Master and Margarita
Where Bulgakov’s novel is a sweeping satire concerned with entire classes and communities, the OUDS production focuses closely on the individual characters: a more dramatic approach, but one that reduces the scope of the themes and ideas from a communal to a capital level.
The Crying Cherry ***
Two Dutchmen in shellsuits sending up Asian culture and traditions, armed with mime-katanas and a borderline offensive pidgin Chipanglish semi-nonsense language? This is what the Fringe is for.
Suspicious Package ***
With the help of four video iPods loaded with instructions, four participants every hour become a detective, a tough guy, an heiress and a showgirl in a boilerplate noir mystery.
Babbling Comedy: The Perfordian Show **
Once you’re over the sight of four grown men capering about dressed unconvincingly as babies, this is perfectly adequate family entertainment.
Un/Familiar Fringe: Un/Seated
Belt Up Theatre, Tickled Pig and Ontroerend Goed are busy blurring the actor/audience divide at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. What techniques to they use and how do they compare?
The Trial ****
It’s often hard to see what’s going on in Belt Up’s immersive adaptation of Kafka’s absurdist work. Perhaps this is for the best. There are monsters in the smoke.
The Tartuffe *****
Belt Up makes the impossible possible.
