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Splice
Verdict: 100 years of cinema
Edinburgh 05 - Underbelly - 18:40 (1:00)
Splice has a stage set with sliding rectangles - white one side, black the other. They can be reversed, turned sideways, lit from every angle; converted into a bed, shower cubicle, the rooftops of China and many more.
The cast - Peter Bramley, Dawn Fleming, Liz Hague, Kate Mooney, Tid (Iain Tidbury) - are more adaptable than the rectangles, and true ensemble players. Everything moves at an incredible pace, as 100 years of cinema is covered in one hour.
'Quick change' doesn't begin to describe what takes place. There are first scenes from silent movies, with appropriate music. Charlie Chaplin is there, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, King Kong, Nosferatu and more. Each snippet will no doubt be immediately recognisable to film buffs, and to everyone else still a joy to behold.
Mime, shadow play, puppetry, vocalising sound effects add to the illusion. Everyday objects become scenery as simple as a stairwell or as expansive as the universe.
An orchestral triangle announces the full Hollywood treatment and talkies. A torch symbolises Hitchcock's Psycho - and turns into the plug-hole for the shower scene. Broom-handles become the bannister in Vertigo, and frame the fall from the top. The Birds are created with hand movements, mime and vocalisation.
All genres are included - Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Spartacus - and so many, so fast, that a blink will miss them.
The physical prowess and stamina of the performers amazes. Music on keyboard, violin and recorder is an ideal accompaniment. Star Wars is transformed into close harmony singing. Jaws and ET are so mixed together, it ends with the shark bicycling across the moon.
East meets West with the gravity-defying sequences of Kill Bill, Crouching Tiger. And The Matrix. It's all unforgettable. Especially Master Yoda as a green oven-glove.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Performers and Co-Creators: Peter Bramley. Dawn Fleming. Liz Hague. Kate Mooney. Iain Tidbury aka Tid.
Company Credits: Music Arrangers - Lucy Egger & Kate Mooney. Technical Operator - Rachel Betts. Company - Pants on Fire.
END
(c) Peter Andrews 2005
reviewed 9 August 05 / Underbelly
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2009
