Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011
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sweetvenuescom : August 12, 2011 12:54 pm : All Shows, Press
subsist
http://www.lovefringe.com/events/theatre/subsist
The Sweet Release
http://www.lovefringe.com/events/cabaret-main/the-sweet-release
Edinburgh Spotlight Review
What is life? What is being human? What is surviving? Where does connection come in? What are the rules? Is it hope that is needed to keep on going? Is it acceptance? What is being real? Can anyone become a completely new person? What continues on? Can mistakes be left behind or will they forever repeat or ricochet no matter what is tried? What was the last thing someone said to you?
Does this all seem rather brain-draining? Part of some pretentious concoction? It isn’t. These are not questions hammered into your brain by direct interrogation, existentialist debate or theatrical alienation devices – these questions are the result of a simply produced piece of drama. more »
Three Weeks Review
A logician one moment and lacking any logic the next, Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, is forced to sit back and watch his imagination literally run wild, desperately endeavouring to revive the adventures of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Faced with critique for his “nonsensical” writing, and deprived of his 11 year old muse, it proves harder and harder for Dodgson to tame his imaginary characters or ignore the detrimental consequence they are having on his professional life. more »
Three Weeks Review
“Hopes, dreams, guilt and torture” – this quotation pretty much summarises the themes of these two monologues which focus on very different central characters that are experiencing remarkably similar emotions whilst drowning their sorrows with drink. more »
What’s On Stage
Mary Blandy’s Gallows Tree is a gripping and dark early morning tale of a woman who was convicted of poisoning her father with arsenic. This one-woman show features real-life murderess Mary Blandy (played by Lita Doolan) recounting in her final hours the events that led her to the gallows. If you are not familiar with the tale, Mary Blandy maintained that she thought she was giving her father a love potion so that he would see her point of view and allow her to marry William Cranstoun, an army officer and Scottish nobleman. more »
Three Weeks Review
Women of the Royal Navy have come to enjoy the freedom of independence with serving in the war has offered them. What will they do when the war is over, when they have to return to their controlled and conventional lives? Seven women share a cabin on a Navy base on Scapa; seven characters share their lives. The actors delicately and carefully distinguish their particular characteristics from one another; dutiful, homely, vain or wild, all they have in common is their love for cups of tea. more »
Sweet Venues are Expanding the View
Whats On Stage
This year, Sweet have changed their vision. They are housed in one rather than many buildings, with a programme spanning two spaces in Apex Hotel on Grassmarket. And they have changed their branding, their slogan – they’re now “expanding the view” – and want to encompass more than just Fringe events in future years. more »
The Scotsman Review
The old don’t have the voice they deserve in today’s society- but this play which is remarkably affecting and thought-provoking, focuses on a character we’ve probably all come across: the old man who fought in the Second World War, and is still reliving it. Martin Oldfield plays Harry, who was just an inexperienced young lad- a pacifist my nature- when he ended up on the beaches of Normandy under the command of his apparently boorish sargeant, Cameron. more »
Three Weeks Review
Laura hayden spent her teenage years in California surrounded by bright colours and synth-pop, much like the setting for this year’s show. In the 80s, laura had her heart broken, and here she tells the story in all its painful glory. Those were the days when relationships were innocent, cars were passed down through an entire family, and your ex-boyfriends couldn’t stalk you on Facebook. more »
Three Weeks Review
A bout of ‘psychic’ interaction over a coffee and croissants is a pleasant way to spend a languid morning mid-Fringe. Bailey’s polished performance… is engaging and humourous, with the man himself being very likeable. His scepticism for claimed telepathic ability within the arts makes his mimicry and gentle teasing funny…
Rating 3/5 more »
