Assembly Checkpoint

Edfest Bouquets 2024
Another incredible August in Edinburgh. Another Fringe packed with wonders to behold. As ever, we’ve put together our annual list of virtual bouquets for the shows that blew us away.

Julia VanderVeen : My Grandmother’s Eye Patch – ZOO Playground

“A lot of the comedy comes simply from VanderVeen’s exaggerated facial expressions and her tendency to skewer audience members with a scarily intense stare…”

Luke Bayer – Diva: Live from Hell – Underbelly (Belly Button), Cowgate

“Channing (the name is obviously a reference to Bette Davis in All About Eve) is a delightful character, supremely self-obsessed, deliciously callous and intent on achieving stardom at any cost…”

The Sound Inside – Traverse Theatre

“Director Matt Wilkinson handles the various elements of the play with skill, and guides it to a poignant conclusion…”

Summer of Harold – Assembly (Checkpoint)

‘If you’re looking for an hour-and-a-half of impressive theatre, with snort-out-loud humour as well as profound emotional moments, then Summer of Harold ticks all the boxes…”

Rebels and Patriots – Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs)

“Loosely stitched with a sprinkling of history and Shakespeare, it all adds up to something very thoughtful…”

Chris Dugdale: 11 – Assembly George Street (Ballroom)

“There are some examples of mind control that have us shaking our heads in disbelief – and I may be guilty of muttering the odd expletive…”

Natalie Palamides: Weer – Traverse Theatre

“A great big slice of the absurd, expert clowning performed with such reckless abandon that you can’t help loving it…”

V.L. – Roundabout at Summerhall

“A whip-smart comedy that also has some incisive things to say about the difficulties of adolescence and the importance of friendship…”

Sam Ipema: Dear Annie, I Hate You – ZOO Playground

“A wonderfully inventive and cleverly-assembled slice of true experience, by turns funny, profound and – at one particular point – very challenging…”

Michaela Burger: The State of Grace – Assembly George Street (Drawing Room)

“Not so much an impersonation as a transformation. Burger talks eloquently and provocatively about the lives of sex workers, explaining why there is a need for their business to be recognised…”

Honourable Mentions

Werewolf – Summerhall (Former Women’s Locker Room)

“I love it. The wardens do an excellent job of inhabiting their characters at the same time as managing the narrative, expertly drawing what they need from the participants…”

Megan Prescot: Really Good Exposure – Underbelly (Belly Button)

“Prescott is an accomplished performer. She tantalises and reels us in before skewering our internal biases and forcing us to think…”

Summer of Harold

17/08/24

Assembly Checkpoint, Edinburgh

Ensemble Theatre’s three short standalone plays are brought to the Fringe via House of Oz. Written by Hilary Bell and performed by Berynn Schwerdt and Lucia Mastrantone, they form a perfect trinity, and we are treated to ninety minutes of exquisite storytelling.

The opening monologue, Summer of Harold, is all about Janet (Mastrantone), a middle-aged woman clearing out her junk room and reminiscing about the seasonal job she had when she went backpacking in her youth. But nineteen-year-old Janet doesn’t settle for bar work or fruit-picking. Instead, she spends her time in London working as a housekeeper for the titular Harold.

Pinter.

That’s right. Janet – whose story is inspired by the true-life adventures of one Margaret Woodward – provides holiday cover for Harold Pinter’s live-in help. And that summer, with Pinter and his wife, the novelist Lady Antonia Fraser, looms large and bright in Janet’s memories.

Mastrantone is tiny but she fills the stage with her glorious portrayals of the Pinters, as well as their many famous friends and her own chain-smoking Kiwi co-worker, Alison. She encapsulates the bold, vivacious swagger of youth, as the two girls bluff their way into a job they can’t do, and then learn how to do it anyway. Bell’s script is beautifully crafted and Mastrantone more than does it justice.

The second monologue, Enfant Terrible, stars Berynn Schwerdt, a man as big as Mastrantone is small, his gangly frame an interesting visual counterpoint to hers as they swap places and a new tale begins.

Gareth is a ceramicist but he’s not as famous as he’d like to be. More pressingly, he’s not as famous as his erstwhile best friend from art college, even though Gareth was the star back then and the work he’s producing now is definitely much better than anything “Mr Pinch-Pot” could create. Definitely. But his ex-pal is being given a big award so Gareth has to attend the ceremony and act like he is pleased.

There’s also a piece of very old and rancid Camembert he needs to deal with…

Again, it’s flawless. This is perhaps my favourite piece of writing of the three (although they’re all great), and Schwerdt’s performance has real emotional heft. His jealousy and resentment are both visceral and palpable – and any creative who says they don’t recognise these feelings is lying!

The final piece, Lookout, is a two-hander, with Schwerdt as Jonathan and Mastrantone as Rae, two people in their late 50s. It’s Jonathan’s birthday and they’re up a mountain in their special place, remembering the many times they’ve been here before. They haven’t visited recently though; they haven’t seen each other for a while. And Jonathan has some news for Rae that catches her off-guard…

Unlike the first two plays, Lookout relies on the element of surprise, so I won’t reveal too much about the storyline here. Suffice to say, it’s every bit as engaging as its predecessors, and just as skilfully acted.

Damien Ryan’s direction allows the trio of plays to shine. The transitions are particularly well-handled, overtly playful and theatrical. I especially like the device of using Schwerdt as a kind of silent removal man throughout Summer of Harold, carrying away Janet’s boxes one by one, leaving the stage bare and uncluttered for Enfant Terrible.

If you’re looking for an hour-and-a-half of impressive theatre, with snort-out-loud humour as well as profound emotional moments, then Summer of Harold ticks all the boxes. It’s an absolute pleasure from start to finish.

5 stars

Susan Singfield