Venue 13

Aug 15-23

9.15pm

£8/£6

American-born writer and actor Douglas de Souza’s manic creation based on legitimate concerns about the DSM, America’s psychologists’ bible, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Who decides who is insane or unsafe, or not normal? De Souza is angry at what he perceives is the homogenisation of people and society. Any serious deviation from the societal norms could mean you match a profile in the DSM. He mentions, for instance, that homosexuality was in the book from 1952-74 as a Sociopathic Personality Disturbance. I read up on this myself and whilst the reference to homosexuality was removed the disorder was simply renamed Sexual Orientation Disturbance (*1).

To illustrate his point de Souza performs his on-man show in 6 segments, each with a different character whose experiences offer different angles into how the perception of mental illness affects the individual. He enacts an artist, a conman, a Russian club promoter, a conspiracy theorist, a clubber and a psychiatry patient. The highlight of these scenes was the raver which amidst the pumping rave music of a club our raver dances and cavorts whilst extolling the virtues of club drugs and the nihilistic attitude and disenfranchised feelings of a generation that have lost faith in a society that rarely values its margins, and these margins are being squeezed all the time. The spectrum of what is considered normal gets smaller and smaller. This is a piece of theatre with a voice and a powerful message; in a world where governments make seem to be more and more paranoid about the behaviour of their citizens, snooping and attempting greater control, what is wrong with humans being paranoid also. By labeling people as mentally ill may we be hindering the advancement and growth of consciousness?

The director Cindy Sibilsky makes excellent use of projections and a pumping soundtrack (Public Enemy, Underworld, Biggy Small etc.) to add to the excellent character acting of De Souza. Intelligent, thought provoking and current. 666DSM is something all psychologists and those with the power to pass judgement on people capacities should see and reflect upon. If we don’t it won’t be too long before we’re all in the book. 4 STARS

Reviewer : David McMenemy

References

*1 Spitzer, R.L. (1981)”The diagnostic status of homosexuality in DSM-III: a reformulation of the issues” American Journal of Psychiatry 138

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Festival Theatre

19.30

16th & 17th August (different times)

£15 – £35

Rona Munro’s The James Plays bring to life the period 1421 to 1488.  Munro has not attempted to create a historically accurate account, rather she has created superbly entertaining works of fiction, using facts as the starting point.  A co-production between the Nation Theatre of Scotland and the National Theatre of Great Britain, and directed by Laurie Sansom, The James Plays present the lives of the first 3 King James’ of Scotland.  The characters and their relationships are easily accessible to the modern audience. This is brave, engaging, entertaining Theatre.  Theatre at its best.

James I : Returning to Scotland, after 18 years in English custody, James McArdles’ slightly insecure James I faces the challenge of mastering his nobles and bringing them under the control of the Crown. James’ romantic side portrayed in his relationship with wife Joan Beaufort (Stephanie Hyam) is balanced with the ruthless strength he forges to command the respect of his country men.  Munro’s script provides laughter, poetry and political skulduggery whilst capturing the brutality required of a ruler in the 15^th Century.

James II : The first half of Day of the Innocents, dramatised through flashbacks of the young James II’s life, including the murder of his father, is challenging to engage with.  A puppet portrays the young king in his dark, nightmarish, chaotic dreams.  The power dynamics of the families who governed Scotland whilst James (Andrew Rothney) grew to maturity are captured excellently as the Livingstones, the Crightons and the Douglases vie for land and power.  James’ relationship with the young Douglas (Mark Rowley) develops and shifts painfully from youthful friend to defiant earl, resulting in a showdown, where James asserts his rule ruthlessly.

Both Plays – 5 STARS 

Reviewer : Nina Jones

Greenside @ Nicholson Sq (venue 209)
17:30
£14

15-23 August

It is a brave soul that takes on Shakespeare; it is a braver soul that posits what (or who) may be the true inspiration of Shakespeare’s works. ‘The Sonneteer’ tries to do exactly that.  Sebastian Michael’s new play explores the relationship between the bard and his “fair youth” Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton to whom he dedicated two narrative poems.

This seductive and passionate imagining is interwoven with a modern relationship between lecturer and student.  Through language and use of lighting,  each set of lovers are clearly identified.  Michael plays both older lovers whilst Tom Medcalf plays both student and Wriothesley, and is the true star of the show.  He is young but the sonnets caress and roll of his tongue masterfully infusing a command, not just of language, but of the complex and confusing idea of love and lust.

Historically, we may never know the truth behind the world’s greatest writer but this play makes a damned good effort in exploring one possible facet of his life.   ‘The Sonneteer’ demands from its audience full attention and even if one is not completely sure what is going on,  the sheer physicality of the actors and the rhythmic singsong of the sonnets will keep minds engaged FOUR STARS

Reviewer : Donna Bisset

 Venue 13

15-23 August

£6-£8 (2 for 1)

13.45

This play is a wonder to behold, a shadowy world of silhouettes, black & white film, projected poetry & gothic undertones – a perfect piece of theatre noir. The cast of four vibrant, young Canadian ladies enact an asimovian vision of the future, full of tarot imagery & mind-twisting momentum. Two scenes in particular are worthy of praise. At the beginning, there is a scene straight from 2001, where the four ladies grunt Neanderthal-like their way into the power of speech.  The other has one of the lasses masturbating with a phone while the wife of her lover speaks on the other end of the line.

This is a brilliantly executed piece of theatre, with gripping physical movements pulsating through an excellently written script. FIVE STARS

Reviewer – Damo Bullen

Venue 4 C too
(Near the castle on Johnston Terrace)
18:35
13-25 August
£9.50

This piece of theatre takes a look at a dystopian future where Union leaders and artists fight against the corporation. The two actors switch characters to play different sides of the struggle. As this is a topic that has been covered everywhere from 1984 to the matrix, it is quite difficult to get originality into such a script. The changes if scene and character where a nice touch and the soundtrack and use of video was also a pleasant addition, as were the references to other dystopian literature and film, (Bladerunner, 1984).

I couldn’t help feel there was a little bit lacking however. The two actors could be professional dancers, with their impressive muscular movement around the set, and I couldn’t help but think this could have been a fantastically choreographed dance piece, however the acting itself felt a little bit “am-dram”, to quote my companion.

It felt like it fell somewhere in between abstractness and really pushing the boat out, perhaps missing an extra push in terms of direction. It would be a great play to take young teenagers to or to pitch to fellow drama students, and it wasn’t without good sense of pace and convincing changes in character. The reason for the poor rating is more that on a sliding scale of comparative performances that I have seen in the fringe, I’m afraid it doesn’t quite sit as high as the three or four star-worthy shows I’ve seen. Edinburgh fringe goers are a tough crowd and with an oft re-worked theme taken from novels and movies, this didn’t offer enough originality to set it above its competitors.

Reviewer : Antoinette Thirgood

The Space @ North Bridge

15/17/19/21/23 August

17.15

£5-£8

It was while watching this special little play that I thought, god bless the Edinburgh fringe. The artistic diversity that this month tosses into the Apollonian aether is simply mind-shattering. I went into see Spectrum quite blind – I knew that it was about an autIstic woman, but not in a million years did I expect the show I was about to see. Set in the world of 50’s Oklahoman cattle-slaughtering, Temple Grandin is an intelligent Autistic woman, brought to life both in body & spirit by Meave Bell. We follow Miss Grandin from her early years, when she was thought to be retarded, to the glorious moments when her innovative techniques in cattle-husbandry take the american mid-west by storm.

Production wise, the play has some excellent moments using sound & light that bring the inner turmoils of autism into A stark reality. The supporting cast is also a fine complent to Meave’s work, with near-perfect american accents & quality comic timing, they were a real treat to watch. Especially so was Dermot Nelson, who definitely deserves some kind of starring role in the future. A magnificent, & thought-provoking FIVE STARS

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Reviewer – Damo Bullen

The Space @Surgeon’s Hall

14-23 August

£8-£9

21.05

This was a snapshot of a not too distant past, when true fans of celebrated artists would camp out all night to obtain tickets for access to the object of devotion. Indeed, this play mirrored my own experience of camping out all night for tickets to see David Bowie perform with Tin Machine at Bradford Saint Georges Hall in 1989. A time when concert access was not governed by a credit card and a computer. 

 

Totally Devoted is a warm and funny play that brings a diverse set of characters together waiting for an audience with Robert Pattison. From the middle class house wife in constant contact with a caring husband, through the Northern English security guard who looks after everyone, to the excited Polish lady hoping to find love in the queue.

This is a play that could easily be the source material for a television sitcom. Light entertainment and refreshingly lovely. Very enjoyable indeed.FOUR STARS

 

 

 

Reviewer : Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert

Summerhall

Aug 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24

12.30

£8

On entering the theater a lady with feathers on her jacket (later we find out she is a grouse) asks if we have any bread in our bags. We sit down and our eyes settle on Rita Grebe, a woman who believes she’s a bird–a Great Crested Grebe. It’s impossible not to find Rita fascinating; she’s grotesque, but weirdly beautiful. Her Grebe feathers draw you in first, as the eye admires her plumage, and soon I?m drawn to the two feathers that spring from Rita’s head, like playful exaggerated eyebrows raised quizzically. We’re soon drawn further in to this alternative world by Caroline Smith’s performance. Her physical movements and facial features are compulsive; I would like to turn away, but can’t, it’s mesmeric; the feeling is further enhanced by Rita’s vocabulary and diction: Germanic, colloquial, idiosyncratic, not always easy to follow, but the sounds that Rita makes attract: Rita invites us to become twitchers, and able to jizz (double meanings abound: in this sense it means identification of bird-like features.). Later in the performance Rita invites the audience (twitchers) to take photos on their mobile phones. Unsettling, but again compulsive. The performance is darkly comic, even when it is not entirely clear why. When Rita feeds (or rather gently stuffs) bread into the grouse, for example, it’s uncomfortable, but there’s disturbed laughter.

The performance is enhanced by the setting; we are in what appears to be a semi-derelict studio that contains semi-circular wooden seats of the type that might be seen when watching Victorian scientific dissections of human organs. There is also a lady behind Rita narrating the performance in sign language; however, quite subtly she enhances the performance further with facial responses to Rita’s monologue. All of  which enhances the feeling of disorientation. The performance has something of the atmosphere of an avian inspired Chris Morris satire; the world is recognisable, but defamiliarized, and unsettling. In short, it?s fabulous; Caroline Smith?s performance is one of real artistry. For those who like to drink a little darkness, this show is essential.FIVE STARS

Reviewer – Paul Rivers