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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
DRIP
Verdict: Exploration of Lecoq technique
Edinburgh - C - August 02
DRIP is a story of drought, water conservation to a limit way beyond hygiene, and a love affair.
The whole cast is on-stage most of the play, the individual members turning their backs when not 'present'. The cast uses speech, mime and other physical techniques in telling the story. All except the two central actors, Ben and Lise, wear white face make-up.
The action takes place in and around a 7-storey block of flats with basement in America. We are made aware of this through words and actions, and a chalked-up drawing on a blackboard. There is no set, the actors use a minimal but versatile central prop to assist the narrative. For example, going upstairs and downstairs - which happens often - is mimed, as are bathing and swimming.
The cast play the people who live in the building. They are to compete with other buildings in the area, particularly the nearby Golden Heights Retirement Home, to consume the least water. There'll be a prize and exposure on local TV.
The 7 occupants are a passionate French woman in tricolor costume, Gina (Giulia Innocenti); a Jewish-German-American, Karl (Thomas Zeuggin) and his newly-arrived non-English-speaking niece Lise (Tatjana Bogucz); Minnie (Kristi Hughes), an American; Myrtle (Emily Parks), an American; a brutal Cockney caretaker, Norm (Kieran Fay); a boy who likes taking baths, Ben (Max Dana).
It's dry and hot - 45 degrees. With effort, but without Ben, they get consumption down to 21.5 litres. Suddenly, as they watch the water-meter, it's up 116 litres, then 1,200 litres. Ben's absent, and, uniquely, this part of America has converted to the Metric system.
Ben's hiding on Floor 7 in his bath, telling no-one. He's a boy at home underwater, where his mind escapes to an ethereal freedom. And he hears the rest of the building through the pipework.
The others suspect and confront Ben with his water-usage. French Gina seductively tries to extract the truth; as by other methods do Minnie and Myrtle. Karl secretly sprays himself with water the while. Eventually the truth outs, and Norm - the one brutal character with many children whom he beats indiscriminately and is therefore, by American convention, the only English person in the play - beats him up. Karl, who becomes increasingly monstrous, eggs him on and assumes leadership of the building. Lise is in love with Ben, though they haven't a word in common.
Lise's a water-soul too, and together, their love develops in hiding - mainly in the basement where the water-cock resides. As Ben shrivels from water-deprivation, Lise wrenches open the cock, and the world explodes with water.
The climax is tragic for some, but not too bad for others. It's a story with a moral.
DRIP is one for fans of the Lecoq school of theatre - the company are followers. The cast gesture and enact physically an impressive range of moves and thoughts, and a large number of sound-effects, many of them water-related.
Cast: Lise - Tatjana Bogucz, Ben - Max Dana, Norm - Kieran Fay, Minnie - Kristi Hughes, Gina - Giulia Innocenti, Myrtle - Emily Parks, Karl - Thomas Zeuggin.
Director - Lucinka Eisler. Light Design - Emmanuelle Faure. Sound Design - Edward Auslender. Production Manager - Sara Kmack. Production Crew - Vitor D'Andrade, Kartini Thomas, Felipe Van Cauwelaert. Created by - Attic People. Company - Attic People
END
John Park
reviewed Sunday 25 August 02 / C Plus One
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
