Optimism ***1/2

Voltaire’s Candide just might be one of the most important and influential writings of all-time.  An adventure tale told as a sarcastic parody, the story follows a young man’s spiralling disillusionment with the philosophy of Optimism.

Tom Wright’s Optimism is more of an original theatrical work that is inspired by Voltaire’s story than an adaptation.  Here, we see Candide, energetically played by Frank Woodley, thrust into a quest for happiness and his true-love.  This quest takes him to numerous cities and puts him on many airplanes, all of which are signposted by five monitors that are suspended above the stage.

There is no denying the absolute skill and talent that is on display here.  The ensemble acting is fantastic, with everyone, save Woodley, playing multiple roles in this all-singing, dancing, drama and comedy-fuelled clown show.  And director Michael Kantor has come up with a production filled with interesting images filled with imagination.

But the production as a whole feels like it has little substance.  It is nothing more than a vehicle for a big-name comedian and a bunch of shenanigans.  While that is not a bad thing, it does mean that the biting satire that the original was meant to be is not to be found.  Only the final scene in the first act, a poignant moment mixed with comedy, tragedy and heartbreak, shows the promise of a far greater show.  The second act is better, but it still is nowhere near as great a production as it could have been.

Optimism is a fun production filled with great images and some inspired performances.  However, its lack of emotional depth denies it from either getting under the audience’s skin or in leaving much of a lasting impression.

Originally written for Onstage Scotland.

Optimism was part of the Edinburgh Festival and played at the Royal Lyceum.  It has since closed.

Year of the Horse ***

Year of the Horse is an intriguing production for the sole reason that it is hard to categorise.  Is it theatre, a museum piece, an art installation or a Power Point presentation?

Harry Horse, real name Richard Horne, was an author and illustrator who was commissioned by The Sunday Herald newspaper in Glasgow to create political cartoons between 2005 and 2006.  These came to an end when he died in circumstances which are still controversial.  All but the first image also contained Horse’s long commentary, adding even more sting to the already harsh, and sometimes vicious, creations.

Respected actor Tam Dean Burn stands before a large screen and speaks Horse’s words for each of his images, sometimes standing to the side, other times incorporating himself into the picture.  This is all presented with a haunting score provided by Keith McIvor.

And that’s it.  There is no insight into Horse, the artist or the troubled man.  It is an hour-long presentation of these images.

And truthfully, that’s more than enough.  Burn is a phenomenal actor, and his voice is melodic and yet also so haunting that it is hard not to be moved, and at times frightened, by his recital of Horse’s commentary.  Burn lets Horse speak for himself, and though these images are a few years old they still speak loudly.

Year of the Horse is a celebration of a great political commentator.  It may not be theatre as you know it, but it is still a worthy production.

Originally written for What’s Onstage.com.

Year of the Horse is at the Assembly Rooms @ George Street until August 31 (not 17 or 24), 18.05.

The Girls of Slender Means **

There seems to be a very good production buried somewhere within Stellar Quines’ The Girls of Slender Means.  Too bad I couldn’t seem to find it.

The play is based on a novel written by highly respected (and, for this year’s Festival, highly represented) writer Murial Spark.  Spark’s novel is about a hostel located in London that allows young women of a certain stature to live.  I know this mostly because I have since read the press release for this production.

You see, I had very little idea as to what was happening.  I don’t know if it is because the adaptation is next to impossible to penetrate or if this is due to the staging.  I believe that it is the latter.  Everything looks impressive, with a large cast in 1940s and 50s period costumes and with large projections and lots of sliding screens that act as movable walls.  However, I was sitting near the side, and I couldn’t see or hear half of what was happening.

And I know that I was not alone.  Most of the audience members that were sitting near me were whispering throughout the whole performance, asking neighbours if they understood what was happening.  Most didn’t, and when it came to the end of the performance, many expressed their dissatisfaction by refusing to clap.

And yet, those few moments that were clear, moments with characters that were fleshed out and performing in an area that I could actually fully see, were electric.  There were some truly great moments on that stage, which frustrated me all the more when the next scene would come and again I was shut out.  It didn’t feel like I was an audience member; instead, it felt as if I was a curious passer-by who kept sneaking peaks at something I was not meant to see.

I have since read other reviews and spoken to people who have attended this production.  The majority of those with favourable comments seem to have: a) known the story and/or b) sat near the middle of the audience.  I have yet to find someone who didn’t like it because they thought it was poor; most say they just felt excluded.

I’ve seen enough theatre to know when a production is polished and accomplished even if I don’t like it.  This looks like a winner, and for all of the talent involved, it very well should be.  So, did I not understand much of The Girls of Slender Means because of where I sat or because the production just didn’t speak to me?  I still don’t know.

Playing at the Assembly Rooms at 14.50 until August 31.

The Event ****

The Event is one great big inside joke.  The more you attend and enjoy going to the theatre, the more you’re going to like it.

John Clancy’s script takes 65-minutes to perform, and it is mostly an actor’s internal monologue, making comments and observations on what transpires during different events.  The more one knows about the inner-workings of theatre, the more jokes they’re going to get, for the majority of the script looks at every aspect of ‘an event,’ from an actor’s preparation and rehearsal to the day-to-day running of a production.

And it is extremely funny.  Played brilliantly by David Calvitto, the play moves at a very brisk pace, never missing a beat or an opportunity for a laugh.  Calvitto is a natural performer, and his performance is so relaxed that it does feel as if these are truthful observations that are just coming to his mind.  It is a great performance that is far better and more polished than it first appears.

However, running at about 65 minutes, the play does start to run out of shots to take at the theatre.  This is when it actually manages to kick into gear and find ways of making parallels to other big ‘events’ one may find.  It also makes some clever and zingy comments about the way people live their day-to-day lives, thus giving the script more layers than one at first assumes it will have.

The Event is great fun, both in its humour and in its spirit.  It has recently won a Fringe First, with good reason, as it is highly enjoyable and contains a masterful performance.  The average punter will find much to like, but those within the theatre circle will cherish it.

Playing at the Assembly @ George Street from 6-31 August (not 18).

Cocktails with Coward ***1/2

Cocktails with Coward is a delightful afternoon’s distraction, a hodgepodge of music, scenes and monologues written by Noel Coward.  Coward is a great wit and always a pleasure to listen to, but the fact that the two performers in this production are Alistair McGowan and Charlotte Page make the performance all the more fun.

As this is a cabaret, there is no story, and the only theme is to celebrate Coward’s writing.  Coward seems to have become a target of late, with some rubbishing his work and contribution to the English-speaking arts.  McGowan and Page do him justice, proving that Coward really was a smart writer who had a much deeper insight into people and their relationships to one another than many credit.  These pieces range in temperament, mostly very humorous but also containing the occasional dramatic sting.

And McGowan and Page are both a sheer joy.  They revel in the writing, throwing characters on as if they were stylised garments.  They also make it look and sound easy.  There’s no surprise that Page has the finer voice and McGowan is the better actor, but Page also proves herself to be an excellent comedic actor and McGowan has a fairly tuneful voice, thus their talents compliment each other well.

It might be a simple production, but Cocktails with Coward is still great fun.  It may not bring Coward’s critics around, but it will certainly delight those who appreciate intelligence and sophistication in their humour.

Playing at the Assembly Rooms at 16.40 until August 31.

Accidental Nostalgia ****

Accidental Nostalgia is like one’s experimentation with a fine wine: it is an enjoyable experience provided that one acquires the taste.  Subtitled An Operetta About the Pros and Cons of Amnesia, it is a multi-media bluegrass musical that mixes social satire with absurdist humour and a complicated identity quest.

It is also a very difficult production to describe.  It begins with Cynthia Hopkins’ character giving a lecturer on a new book she has written, which deals with memory and identity.  Her talk is punctuated by musical interludes and fleets of memory problems before a major digression involving the identity of her parents and whether or not she killed her father takes us into the much faster paced and enjoyable second half.  Through all of this, she is backed by a four-piece band and two men who act as commentators, stage hands and backing singers and dancers.

Whether one likes the show or not will probably depend on one’s opinion of Hopkins’ performance.  I found her to be a very good singer and funny performer, though her humour is so subtle and her writing structure so off the wall that it took a while to win me over.  But it finally did, and once I warmed to her performance style I found myself enthralled by both her talents and her story.

Accidental Nostalgia is a very charming and enjoyable musical experience.  It makes its audience work, but those that are willing to invest in the production will certainly be rewarded by a winning performance, led by an extremely talented individual.

Playing at the Traverse at 22.30 until August 30.

Chronicles of Long Kesh *****

Chronicles of Long Kesh demands much of its audience.  We are asked to watch the effect that decades of incarceration can have, not only on inmates but also on their families and on the people charged with watching them.  As it is set in the infamous prison in Northern Ireland known as Long Kesh, we are also asked to witness acts of protest, divides based on sectarianism and harsh forms of violence and brutality.

And though it asks a great deal, it rewards the audience in abundance with a thrilling play that is extremely moving, at times funny and constantly engaging with its theatricality.  Though the play is based on historic facts, it is far more interested in the human condition.  We watch people try to live the best they can, sometimes in the most inhumane conditions.  Music is also used, not only as a form of comic relief but also as a way of making moments all the more poignant.

We are introduced to a collection of characters played by six actors.  These actors take on a principle role each but also fill in for a collection of smaller roles, serve as narrators and sing songs.  Though each actor greatly impresses, not only with their individual performance skills but also in their physicality, it is in watching all six as a solid ensemble that is most thrilling; with their focus and onstage support of each other, they quite simply make the greatest ensemble I’ve seen in some time.

Sometimes grim, other times funny but always compelling and affecting, Chronicles of Long Kesh is one of the best productions, not only at the Festival but of this year.  It is rare for straight dramas to get a standing ovation; this not only got one for the performance I saw but also reportedly scores one with each performance.  Do not miss it.

Originally written for Onstage Scotland.

Playing at the Assembly Hall until August 31.