Theatre

I Killed Rasputin

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05/08/14

Assembly, George Square Theatre, Edinburgh

As both a theatre-lover and a Richard Herring fan, it was obvious that I would attend this show. Less obvious was what I should expect. I know that Herring has written plays before, but I haven’t seen them. The poster looks rather solemn and serious; would the performance eschew all humour to focus on the history?

Of course not. While this piece is certainly informative, it’s entertaining too (“laughing and learning, folks”), and the ridiculousness of the story the world was supposed to swallow is cleverly exposed.

The casting is audacious, with Nichola McAuliffe in the lead role of Prince Felix Yusupov, playing up his notorious gender-bending reputation. McAuliffe is magnificent and Eileen Nicholas, as his arch wife, Irina, is the perfect foil, these two ‘older’ women easily commanding the stage. (Pay attention, Hollywood! Pay attention, BBC! Pay attention, everyone! Women who are over fifty can be wonderful. Write more parts for them!) In fact, the sheer brilliance of these two actors creates what, for me, is the only problem with the play: their combined charisma and charm means that they steal the show, and so the enigmatic Rasputin (Justin Edwards), appearing as a ghost to torment Yusupov, perhaps fails to make as much impact as he needs to, and it is, at times, hard to see how the Russian aristocracy could have been so beguiled by this relatively ordinary man. However, this is a minor quibble – and there’s plenty to relish in the performance, not least the multi-role playing and clever direction.

Overall, the play works very well, combining artful exposition with delightfully silly humour, and really helps to illuminate this fascinating moment in history. 

4.2 stars

Susan Singfield

The Lieutenant of Inishmore

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03/08/14

Hill Street Theatre, Edinburgh

The Lieutenant of Inishmore is one of Martin McDonagh’s finest plays – a surreal blend of violence, dark comedy and mayhem. As presented by In Your Face Theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe (Hill Street Theatre) it’s a truly immersive experience.

Picture this. You and fourteen others are ushered into a small, claustrophobic room. You can’t help but notice that the walls, floor and ceiling are lined with bin bags. You are issued with a splatter-proof hooded cape and foot covering. You also can’t help but notice that less than a foot away, a half naked man is lying unconscious on a torture table. Then the eponymous anti-hero strides in and the torture session begins…

Of course, it would be easy to dismiss all this as a mere gimmick and at first, I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy the performance. But as the action unfurled, as the gore sprayed around the room, I realised that I was actually loving this production, more so perhaps than the expensive polished version I attended at the Curve Theatre some years ago. When you’re so embroiled in the action, when the characters are actually including you in it, the manic humour of the piece comes to the fore and you find yourself laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. This production is what the Edinburgh Fringe is all about. With such small audience capacity, In Your Face must be running at a loss, but they’re doing it for the sheer, unadulterated joy of putting on a show.

Make no mistake, this is immersive theatre at its most literal. Forget about breaking the fourth wall. Here, it doesn’t exist and at the play’s conclusion, there’s no time for applause, because the cast are helping you out of your gore-splattered covers and asking you what you thought of the show. What did I think? Phenomenal. For its sheer brass neck brilliance, this gets a full 5 stars.

5 stars

Philip Caveney

Hancock’s Last Half Hour

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04/08/14

Studio 1, Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh

As an enthusiastic Tony Hancock fan since childhood, it was a given that I would want to see Heathcote Williams’ Hancock’s Last Half Hour. Essentially a monologue, it chronicles the great comedian’s desperate last sojourn in an Australian hotel room as he steadily drinks himself to oblivion. Pip Utton doesn’t so much play the role as inhabit it. He manages to conjure Hancock’s rumpled desperation perfectly, while the voice is also spot on. You might expect a play with such a grim storyline to be a rather glum affair, but don’t be fooled. Williams’ script is liberally stuffed with acid one-liners that will have you laughing out loud, right up to the heartbreaking conclusion. I loved Utton’s post-bow speech, urging those of us who liked his performance to tell everyone via social media – and those that didn’t to keep our mouths shut! Well, Pip, I loved your performance and I’d urge others to catch it while they still have the chance. Please note, you don’t have to be a Hancock fan for this to work, but it certainly helps. Stone me – this is a cracker!

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney