Edinburgh 2013 Theatre Review: Hanging Bruce-Howard (Gone Rogue Productions)

Living room farce with an alcoholic actor protagonist; cue neurotic gay playwrights, incompetent Polish plumbers, fist fights and hidden bodies. Jolly good fun for some maybe, but you can’t shift the sense that it’s a bit old hat for a young company, and perforated with cliché and stereotype that demonstrates a mind-boggling lack of self-awareness. It’s hampered by weak writing and a lead actor, who though trying his damnedest, just isn’t watchable enough to pull off the character of endearingly self-absorbed dandy, though admittedly being the first performance this could improve. Chuck in a couple of AIDS jokes and the end result is resoundingly off. Tired, unoriginal and poorly executed, it may sharpen slightly during the rest of their run, but only a miraculous rewrite could truly save this.

C nova, until 26 Aug, 12.05pm.
tw rating 2/5 |

- See more at: http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/article/ed2013-theatre-review-hanging-bruce-howard-gone-rogue-productions/#sthash.vsZTVvU7.dpuf

Edinburgh 2013 Theatre Review: Tell me a Secret (Airborne Theatre)

An energetic and high-spirited combination of physical theatre, live music and a touch of karaoke, ‘Tell Me a Secret’ does exactly what it says in the title. From marriage fantasies and re-enacted sexual liaisons to having witnessed a fatal accident; the performance is a confessional series of secrets, all made more unsettling by knowing that much of the dialogue is taken from real life. Given the material’s strength, you find yourself wishing they’d occasionally give the props and fancy movement a rest and let the words speak for themselves. Similarly, culling a sub-plot between two siblings would be no loss. Though thought-provoking and effervescent, it’s a little too cluttered. If Airborne could keep their focus on substance over style, they’ll be one to watch in the future.

C nova, until 25 Aug (odd dates only), 1.10pm.
tw rating 3/5 |

- See more at: http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/article/ed2013-theatre-review-tell-me-a-secret-airborne-theatre/#sthash.Vmy7UCIO.dpuf