Katy Flowers Spot On

From Katy Flowers

New to Edinburgh Fringe

I relished the opportunity to go to Edinburgh, I had the ambitious idea that I would have time to actually blog about shows from Edinburgh.. This was not the case Edinburgh is so vibrant and busy during the festival that from leaving the hotel at 10 am to returning in the small hours I had no time to stop and write. It is truly amazing how much is on free and otherwise, even the street performers were at times mesmerising. All in all we saw 12 shows over two and a half days which I think isn't too bad going! From the list suggested by China Plate we saw; Nola, Bullet Catch, Thin Ice and Once in a House on Fire. We also saw two ticketed shows we brought on a whim that were excellent comedy shows, and a fair few free shows or discounted shows mainly comedy that were excellent. Thankfully nothing we saw really disappointed and the experience overall was throughly enjoyable.

Suitability for Spot On.

Nola.

'Nola' is  a documentary play by Look Left Look Right investigating the true cost of the BP oil spill and its impact on our daily lives. The dialogue is taken from interviews with those directly affected by the spill, from families of victims to local fishermen and Peak Oil scientists. It is a compelling and interesting play that explores the disaster of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and its consequences today. The cast of four work hard to portray the varying persons effected by the spill and to great effect, this variation in persons and in the dialogue itself works well as it does not draw to any hard and fast conclusions, the audience are left to make their own judgements rather than being told what to think. In terms of 'Spot On' this play could work well in any space and production costs would not be overly high. There was use of a projector but other than that no real extravagant technology that would be too hard to come by. Indeed the piece works through the moving transcripts that make the script rather than anything else so would work well in a rural setting.

Once in a house on fire.

This play for me echoed back to plays such as 'A taste of honey' and other 'kitchen sink' dramas for me it took the essence of such plays drew them all together and came out with this play, as such I found it not entirely innovative or original but enjoyable and easy to watch none the less. It followed a childhood of poverty and abuse, showing how two sisters coped through drama, dance, song and imagination it was uplifting yet somehow melancholy with an ambiguous ending. The soundtrack of 'The Smiths' was brilliant and added to the smooth set changes and leaps through time, helping hold the piece together. It had amazing credentials and has obviously impressed critics indeed show casing young acting and writing talent it was easy to watch and engaging. It would work well in a small space and thus would be a good choice for a village hall, especially in the North of England as it was credited to be a 'distinctly Mancunian play'. However personally I did not find it different or innovative enough to truly enjoy it for me it seemed like  a remake of so many other 'kitchen sink' dramas that weren't really in need of a remake or remodel.

Thin Ice.

This was throughly enjoyable although the air-conditioning was on full blast and therefore freezing we debated afterwards as to weather the air con was for atmospheric effect, the play being set in Greenland! The play chops and changes through time, starting with a frozen professor in a hut in Greenland as the two other protagonists arrive to rescue him and the body thaws secrets surface, shown through the plays chopping and changing through time and memories. It is a very powerful play about courage in the face of adversity, it questions beliefs, science and love. At times it is darkly comic at others sad, it is a roller-coaster and truly gripping throughout. The use of two projectors and a traverse stage maybe hard to put into place in village halls, however is this were possible this is an excellent play to be enjoyed by all ages.

Bullet Catch.

This was by far the best piece of theatre I saw and would recommend it again and again. It was spectacular, not quite a magic show not quite theatre, it sits between truth and fiction, playing with the connection between magic and the human mind. It is multilayered and gripping based on the infamous bullet catch trick which the play culminates in. Inspired by the real-life case of William Henderson, apparently killed while undertaking the trick in 1912 in front of 2,000 people. Was it an accident or did something more sinister take place when a labourer with no history of violence was grabbed from the audience and invited to pull the trigger? The piece called on audience participation with one audience member acting as a secondary character and presence throughout the play. It was extremely clever, moving and innovative, the audience participation again thinning the line between truth and fiction magic and reality.Drummond created a convincing atmosphere and the audience is palpably uneasy when the ultimate trick, which is bewildering and impressive, is finally executed. It is also remarkable because it is painfully honest about the choices we make and the way we stare despair in the face while pretending we are OK. This play is a must see, however much it sets your heart beating, I would indeed recommend it for villages halls as the magic is all in Drummond performance rather than any specific specific special effects. If Spot On could get this as a touring act it would be truly amazing.

Stu and Garry's Lunchtime Show.

As improvised comedy goes this was very good, it had the whole audience laughing, and the audience was a pretty mixed bag from about 14 to 80! They were universally entertaining with a lot of audience participation. They would fit into a village hall setting with no problems and would appeal to most audiences .‘Anarchic, quick-witted improv at its fast-paced best’ (ThreeWeeks) perhaps describes it best.

Steve Shanyaski’s Life-Survival Bible.

This was a great surprise of the festival for me we got tickets to a late night show on the final day of the festival at a cheaper price, we were a bit worried and thought it could go either way, as it happened it was truly hilarious the funniest thing we saw second only to 'The boy with tape on his face-more tape'. It was great relatable northern humour, a show based on surviving modern life chapter by chapter with physical humour and great comedy songs thrown into the mix.

The Boy with Tape on his Face- More Tape.

Without a doubt this was the funniest most original act I saw, it was hilarious from start to finish! It is magical, bringing out the child within you it is simple, clever, charming, inoffensive humour.   A really accessible and enjoyable comedy show suitable for all the family. I would say this is my must see from the festival. Definitely suitable for rural touring if you could find the funds!!

Blog:http://edinburghvillagehallfirsttimer.blogspot.co.uk/