Allotment was the first show on my Fringe agenda and I set off out of town in a mood of excited anticipation that this would be a show with universal appeal and high hopes of a VH hit. Knoydart's Community Garden is thriving; lots of green fingered enthusiasts, and a perfect venue for a touring show.
Fantastic venue at Inverleith Allotments, inside the Botanical Gardens. The director sets the scene in her own working allotment; tea and jam scones from the garden shed are a lovely introduction. The small audience is seated around the sides and offered plastic ponchos and brollies, just in case. I choose a white poncho - and not long after I am very pleased that I did so, as the heavens open.
But for me though, the play was a disappointment. The tale of two sisters, Maddy and Dora, full of woe and angst, sibling rivalry, resentment and unfulfilled lives. The main theme of the plot in this two woman show was one of the character's regret about an aborted child. Not my cup of tea. Angst and Anger in the Allotment might be a pithy description. I'm sure the acting and writing were technically superb, but this one I think is aimed at a theatrically sophisticated audience. The guy next to me fell asleep. It rained. The sight of a massed audience of white ponchoed people provided me with some amusement - rather more than the play did.
Elaine Williams
Inverie Village Hall
KnoyDart Arts promotions
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