Sunday, September 02, 2012

I've been exceeding lucky this August and seen almost nothing - in fact, actually nothing - that was rubbish.

Last weekend, I enjoyed (in some cases, a great deal):

A stunning Mies Julie

A cacophonus 4:48 Psychosis (man, I love that play. Man, the group demonstrated how it can be turned into a pantomime...)

A very nice little piece called The Day The Sky Turned Black, hot footed from Australia and speaking of the forest fires in Victoria

The very beautiful Juilliard Dance at the Playhouse as part of the EIF

A slightly disappointing (but DG did warn me - after I'd raced into buying a ticket) The Trench. Well no, disappointing is wrong. Just unexpected. But they're undoubtedly very talented performers.

And a singing wise mostly very accomplished acting wise maybe a little bit less so aside from the main man, Bobby who could sing less than he could act, Company from the no longer RSAMD but cunningly acronymed RCS

Endeavouring to curb my spend, I avoided Scottish Opera's Lady Of The Sea which is a pity as I'm interested in the stage play and always up for a bit of idea stealing

And rounded off my festival(s) last night with Vanishing Point's Wonderland.

Now it's no coincidence that the thing I've liked least so far featured a girl drawing her pants off.

Wonderland featured not just one girl but two taking their pants off.

Need I say more?

Pants off and plate glass does not, to my mind, make a satisfying theatrical experience.

It had the kernel of a fine idea lurking somewhere behind the plate glass. But the feral furtive man who loitered sometimes behind, sometimes in front of the plate glass, spitting his wry commentary about excitement and exploitation toward the somewhat bemused audience (man in front of us, twenty minutes in as two of the actors sat laughing and having fun (silently) behind the plate glass, cried audibly and irritably: "come on! come on!") wasn't quite enough of a device to draw this idea out.

But what do I know?

Anyway, it looked pretty, had money lavished on it and was mildly thought-provoking. Should we expect more from the EIF?

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