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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
ArtsEd Graduate Showcase 2005
Verdict: 17 dramatic shorts
London - Criterion Theatre - 26 April 05 - 13:00 (14:20)
INDEX: There You Are - The Shagaround - Here - The Live Bed Show - Sweethearts - Secrets And Lies - Jump Mr Malinoff Jump - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Wild East - Hay Fever - Not A Game For Boys - Red Devils - The Country - Country Music - Member Of The Wedding - Hand In Hand - The Secret Bridesmaid's Business - CREDITS
ArtsEd Graduates 2005 showcase their work in 17 mini-dramas at London's Criterion Theatre. There are 33 actors (13M, 20F). Each piece is listed separately below with its credits, and full credits are collected at the end of this review.
The set (by Colm Pádraig Daly and Felix Telford) is a black U-shaped plinth, with the prongs towards the audience. It's a versatile prop for the drama pieces, which range from the spectacular opening number with full cast to intimate encounters. It allows the action to take place on different levels, and for sitting and standing without constantly bringing on props.
Wardrobe (Åse Amy Djärf, Marianne Harwich) is consistently superb, with exactly-apt choices in each piece emphasising the drama and giving a stylish sense of design overall.
There's strong and imaginative direction from Esta Chrarkham.
THERE YOU ARE Lively and colourful musical number from the whole cast, expertly choreographed and performed on the stage's different levels and around the theatre. A great opener. The costumes throughout the show are striking; here they are also colourful and elegant. Credits: From - The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Writer - Rupert Holmes. Staged by - Nicholas Tudor, Irene Moss, Eve Burley. Cast - entire cast.
THE SHAGAROUND Four women trap a man in the women's lavatory till he pays money he owes girlfriend G. Rosie Mainwaring is strident and subtle as wronged woman G. Richard Pepple - entertains as her unseen fornicating boyfriend Matt. Jenna Goodwin, in pretty pink wrap-around skirt, injects G's pal Beth with irony. Charlotte Fox delivers pal Sal with humour. Irene Moss is crisp as sarcastic mate Dilly. The sketch is slightly over-long. Credits: Writer - Maggie Nevill. Cast: (alpha order): Charlotte Fox - Sal. Jenna Goodwin - Beth. Rosie Mainwaring - G. Irene Moss - Dilly. Richard Pepple - Matt.
HERE A couple tussle over and within their matching blue jumpers. James Faber is boyfriend Phil, slightly mechanical in delivery. Gemma Lindy is pert as girlfriend Cath. There's a sweetness to the sketch from both script ('Side by side, seeing everything from each other's point of view') and it works, but there's a feeling that it's being acted. Partly this may be due to having to perform near the start, in front of a dauntingly large audience. Credits: Writer - Michael Frayn. Cast: (alpha order): James Faber - Phil. Gemma Lindy - Cath.
THE LIVE BED SHOW Lovers Maria and Cash chose a bed as the store closes and decide to stay the night. Funny lines ('I plan to penetrate you in 3 minutes, but I shall attend to your breasts now') and convincing performances from two gifted actors in colourful parkas Chloe Austin (turquoise) and Chris Twiselton (orange). Credits: Writer - Arthur Smith. Cast: (alpha order): Chloe Austin - Maria. Chris Twiselton - Cash.
SWEETHEARTS A couple flirt with tart, witty dialogue, possibly (from the accents) in the North. Sarah Fortune's pretty and pert as casting assistant Ruby in cherry polka-dot skirt. Chris Edgerley's eager, slightly bullying Charlie doesn't fully convince. His timing seems too aggressive, but that may be the director's choice. Credits: Writer - Nick Grosso. Cast: (alpha order): Chris Edgerley - Charlie. Sarah Fortune - Ruby.
SECRETS AND LIES A black woman confronts the white mother who handed her for adoption. It's a strong script dealing with race, regret, maternal pride, a daughter's disallusionment, a woman's despair. There are two fine performances. Sabina Cameron evokes daughter Hortense's controlled anger and resignation. Julia Gwynne is outstanding in her depth of characterisation as former 16-year-old working-class factory-worker (this is a Mike Leigh script) mother Cynthia. Credits: Writer - Mike Leigh. Cast: (alpha order): Sabina Cameron - Hortense. Julia Gwynne - Cynthia.
JUMP MR MALINOFF JUMP Strong sketch contrasting the lives of two brothers. Wide-boy Nick pops in to see younger bro George, sweeping the floor in the family café. Gavin Brocker is superb as swaggering pin-stripe-suited Cockney Nick - brash, and poignant. Jamie Pullen creates a subtle George, hinting at bottled-up anger, and integrity. Credits: Writer - Toby Whitehouse. Cast: (alpha order): Gavin Brocker - Nick. Jamie Pullen - George.
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE Schoolgirl mistress Sandy models in white slip for randy artist Teddy Lloyd, but they're both in love with haughty Scottish schoolmarm Jean Brodie. Stephanie Farrell evokes Sandy's teenage emotions with subtlety. Richard Pepple injects Teddy Lloyd with manly charisma, in a smock spattered with white stains. Credits: Writer - Jay Presson Allen. Cast: (alpha order): Stephanie Farrell - Sandy. Richard Pepple - Teddy Lloyd.
WILD EAST Two mutually-hostile women interview hapless Frank about the Russian dairy market. Ben Baily is superb as hapless but thinking-on-his-feet job-applicant Frank (in fabulously naff bluish shirt with smiley-faces tie) with a talented feel for the script's comedy - and a comically-apt rubbery quality to his movements. Alison Playford invests Dr Gray with precise, funny, characterisation, and packs the part with an undertow of raunch - posing with Carry On aplomb in crisp white shirt and naughty short black business-skirt. Jessica Harvey delivers a Dr Pitt rippling with ambiguity and suppressed anger, switching to penetrating interogation. A fabulous cast making the most of a tight and funny script. Credits: Writer - April de Angelis. Cast: (alpha order): Ben Baily - Frank. Jessica Harvey - Dr Pitt. Alison Playford - Dr Gray.
HAY FEVER A couple have a teasing flirtation at a country-house party. Noel Coward's classy sardonic tone permeates the action. Alberto Prandini looks a superbly foppish Simon Bliss, with floppy hair, cravat, and whites. His performance feels fluent and seems almost there, but isn't completely convincing. Perdita Avery creates a superb Myra Arundel, stunningly bored-ice-maidenish in long blue lace, blue scarf, with cigarette in holder, and a sure touch for Noel Coward's quirky genre. Credits: Writer - Noel Coward. Cast: (alpha order): Perdita Avery - Myra Arundel. Alberto Prandini - Simon Bliss.
NOT A GAME FOR BOYS Arguments while preparing for a table-tennis match with some crisp lines - 'She occasionally makes her point in scar-tissue'. Daniel Caren is agressive Eric, bat in hand and pumped-up with nervous table-tennis angst. It's a fluent performance, but feels - slightly - acted. Chris Twiselton as quieter Oscar delivers a subtle and natural characterisation. Credits: Writer - Simon Block. Cast: (alpha order): Daniel Caren - Eric. Chris Twiselton - Oscar.
RED DEVILS
Three women meet to watch their team The Reds on Saturday afternoon. The script's a clever argument about careers, college, marriage. Sarah Sturdy is funny and poignant as soon-to-be-married Alice, tottering in tight jeans and little red boots, a red bow in her hair. Eve Burley, in red top, is subtle and strong as Phil. Janine Gateland, with red boots and handbags, invests doing her Nita's make-up with fine unspoken communication, and her spoken characterisation with panache. It's an entertaining and thoughtful script, with matching performances. Credits: Writer - Debbie Horsfield. Cast: (alpha order): Eve Burley - Phil. Janine Gateland - Nita. Sarah Sturdy - Alice.
THE COUNTRY Rebecca wakes up in dowdy wife Corrine's country cottage. Has she been shagging her husband? A taut piece of drama - 'Your husband almost killed me tonight' - with a sinister edge comes to life in two fine performances, aided by subtle wardrobe. Julia Gwynne's Corrine looks wifely in restrained-styled dress, and brings her to life with emotions skilfully presented in grey tones. City woman and history student Maya Lubinsky's Rebecca is dressed flamboyantly, and delivered with strength and perceptiveness. Credits: Writer - Martin Crimp. Cast: (alpha order): Julia Gwynne - Corrine. Maya Lubinsky - Rebecca.
COUNTRY MUSIC Matty visits Jamie in prison with bad news about the women in Jamie's life. It's a taut script with two powerful performances. Gavin Brocker develops a quiet and strong characterisation for Jamie - carrying an underlining power, sense of threat, and world-weariness - an outstanding actor. Simon Carroll delivers Matty with a fine sense of the character's mixed emotions and responsibilities. Credits: Writer - Simon Stephens. Cast: (alpha order): Gavin Brocker - Jamie. Simon Carroll - Matty.
MEMBER OF THE WEDDING Set in America. Southern teenager Frankie rebels in the care of the family's black slave/nanny Bernice. Lovely Sabina Cameron delivers Bernice with authority, sensitivity and an affecting gentleness - a fine performance. Pretty blonde-haired Sarah Shavel brings mischievous tom-boy Frankie riotously to life in a glorious performance (with knife-throwing). She evokes the storm of emotions in Frankie's life, anger, joie-de-vivre, insecurity - with impish fun, poignant conviction, and graceful elegance of movement. Credits: Writer - Carson McCullers. Cast: (alpha order): Sabina Cameron - Bernice. Sarah Shavel - Frankie.
HAND IN HAND. The pivotal moment of a solar eclipse illuminates seething adulterous passions within a marriage. Stephen Andrews is convincing as self-downplaying husband Dan, media-studies lecturer. Alexis Peterman is frisky, sexy and elegant as naughty agent Helen, determined to make him big - and not just in movies. Maya Lubinsky is subtle as his at-first quiet wife Cassie who may be shagging mate Ronnie - a gifted performance of off-hand malice by Ben Baily. Merric Boyd delivers a Doug who's amusingly nerdish. Stephanie Farrell is convincing as his bitter-ish partner Lou.
Credits: Writer - Simon Block. Cast: (alpha order): Stephen Andrews - Dan. Ben Baily - Ronnie. Merric Boyd - Doug. Stephanie Farrell - Lou. Maya Lubinsky - Cassie. Alexis Peterman - Helen.
THE SECRET BRIDESMAID'S BUSINESS Entertaining interlude at a wedding as Meg asks lover James - both in magnificent white costumes - who he's been porking. It's a funny script ('Did you go down on her?') handled with style in two gifted performances. Catherine Nix-Collins as Meg, and Oliver Speed-Andrews as James, each find the comedy in the script and deliver it. Credits: Writer - Elizabeth Coleman. Cast: (alpha order): Catherine Nix-Collins - Meg. Oliver Speed-Andrews - James.
