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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Abu Kassim's Shoes
Verdict: Miser's comic downfall
By the time the last week of the Fringe arrives, most Scottish kids are back at school. So it’s great when an early afternoon children’s show has a large audience of wide-eyed and excited sprogs waiting in anticipation.
Amid hushed expectation and munching of sweets and crisps, a group of brightly-dressed children swamps the stage. Brollies act as market stalls, and the performers sing an adapted version of the Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. Nobody likes Abu Kassim. He’s a very rich, mean miser, who tries to bleed people dry. The shoes of the story are his downfall.
Abu Kassim is so tight he hasn’t bought a new pair in years. An incident at the bathhouse means he ends up with a pair of new shoes, which he takes - since he cannot find his old, smelly pair. The owner of the shoes gets the police to retrieve them and it costs Abu Kassim a fortune in bribes not to be prosecuted.
The merchant beats Abu Kassim up with the decrepit footwear, much to the hoots and shouts from the kids in the audience. The shoes are involved in killing an old woman because he throws them out of a window - more fines and bribes. Next, he throws them in the Nile, killing the fish.
They are returned by an angry fisherman, who beats him with the shoes - again shrieks of laughter from the children. He buries them, only to have them returned with more fines and bribes to pay. They end up getting caught in a water-mill that breaks. More fines, beatings and bribes.
Eventually Abu Kassim gives in, and hands them over to the courts. Poor, broken and destitute, he returns home to the strains of Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.
This is not the most polished or professional production, but it really doesn’t matter. The performers are aged 8-12, with enthusiasm that shouldn’t be stifled. Yes, there are stumbles and forgotten lines, but the most important thing about this production is that the audience loves it. And after all, isn’t that what theatre is about - especially for kids? Something they can understand, laugh at - and enjoy!
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Amy Arms-Rawden, Jessica Bailey, Lucy Beardmore-Gray, Lauren Cressey, Ross Garrigan, Jessica Howorth, Toby Howorth, Bethany McGarrick, Imogen Tyndall and Fiona Wiltshire.
Company Credits: Writer, Director and Costumes - Fiona Kimberly. Company - PerfAct Youth Theatre
END
(c) Lea Harris 2005
reviewed 24 August 2005 / Venue 45
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
