home
|
about
|
news
|
contents
|
gossip
|
photographs
|
venues
|
brighton
|
dublin
|
edinburgh
|
film
|
features
|
interviews
|
awards
|
fashion
|
recipes
|
no more drinks
|
newsletter
|
links
|
contact
Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Roadmovie
Verdict: Video store tragi-comedy
Edinburgh - Pleasance Over The Road Two (OTR2) - August 02
Alex is going mad in a video store. He works there. He's fusing life out of reality, Catch 22, The Manchurian Candidate, Badlands, and The Unforgiven. His mate and co-worker Elvis may finally have left to commit suicide - he'd threatened to take someone with him. Will fatherhood and the loss of Elvis tip Alex back into sanity?
Nick Whitfield plays Alex and narrates the character of Elvis, angry cineast. The play is the story of Elvis's last day behind the counter.
Alex recalls the conversations he's had with Elvis, and the minutae of the day. Alex had brought his baby son into the shop. He'd served customers. He'd witnessed Elvis being offhand with a white gangster and his bodyguard of 12 Chinese men. Elvis had left. Alex looked for him but couldn't find him - he doesn't know what happened, and neither do we. Alex shows us films he's made: Murderous Park Baby, Street Movie, Kilburn High Road Movie.
The star of this interesting play is undoubtedly Josef Whitfield, who features in all three films-within-the-play. At two years old he's both charismatic and handsome, like his dad who's acting on stage.
Josef's first film, Murderous Park Baby, is directed by dad (Nick Whitfield), and co-acted with mum Elizabeth Foster (as stage mother Janine). It's cut so that baby gestures of affection look as if he's killing his startled mother.
His second, Street Movie, is - Alex is at pains to point out - not a road movie. Josef here is in the back of the car, in his baby seat, and sometimes standing in the road. It's directed by Iain Mackenzie and edited by Jonathan Murphy.
In his closing film, Kilburn High Road Movie, Josef is mainly carried by dad - undignified for a rising star, but, hell, you can't always pick your co-stars or rewrite the script. Director, Iain Mackenzie. Editor, Jonathan Murphy.
The enveloping play takes place in the video shop, with the use of a monitor and both hand-held and wall-mounted screens for projection. There is a carefully written script (by Nick Whitfield and Wes Williams), well narrated and enacted by Nick Whitfield. There are sharp and delightful perceptions. On fatherhood: 'It's like having your own God'. On parenthood: partner Janine exclaims on seeing her baby son's likeness to his dad 'Oh my God, there's two of them'. The character of Elvis is made fairly believable.
But the intensity with which the interesting story is acted isn't always matched by the content. With all the build-up to Elvis's possible suicide, involving rope, wire, notes, parcels, and much of the monologue, showing the corpse would at least tell an end to the story. And if he isn't dead, as the script also implies, we'd quite like to know. Particularly as Elvis's film script involving Tony Blair's naked suspension by elastic from a window sounds like a winner.
There's a very interesting piece of theatre concealed within Roadmovie. A brutal, 50%-75%, edit and stronger climax could result in a sensational play. As it is, it's interesting, but confuses
perhaps more than intentionally, and periodically droops.
Directed with flair by Wes Williams. The set's well-designed to look good and carry out the technical and movement demands of the play, by Naomi Wilkinson. Original Music, Simon Whitfield. Producer, Louise Chantal. Filmography, The Company.
END
John Park
reviewed at Pleasance Over The Road / Saturday 3 August 2002
For information on Catch 22 (1970), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Badlands (1973), and The Unforgiven (1992), see International Movie Database
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
