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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen
Verdict: Hilarious musical pastiche
Edinburgh 06 - The Spiegel Garden - 7-27 Aug 06 - 21:00 (1:10)
The band bounce on to the stage, sway to the sound of a hanged man - and sing a jolly shanty he’s written in his final minutes. This is East European folk/gypsy music presented with tongue firmly in cheek.
Mikelangelo (baritone and guitar) introduces the band - Rufino the Catalan Casanova (violin), The Great Muldavio (clarinet), Guido Libido (Piano Accordion) and Ivan (double bass). The Gentlemen come from Australia - the dodgy accents suggest elsewhere.
Dancing At The Devil's Wedding is followed by Rumination on Gloom. It starts with ‘One of those A Minor days' - and the sentiments don’t improve as the song progresses. The delivery is overtly serious and deadpan. Rufino and Mikelangelo pass among the audience – they’re intimidating close up.
The next song begins 'Skeletons dancing in a sea of flesh, with waves of blood', adding percussion and spoons. Like all good comedy, it is impossible to describe exactly why it works. But work it does - and not only as comedy. The band’s expertise on their instruments, and their command of their music, is of an incredibly high standard.
Guido Libido acts his role in The Unspeakable Horror in silent-cinema style, with jerky movements and subtitles. Rufino tells of his search for love and a job in accountancy.
A song about human taxidermy starts with 'Necrophilia is the playground of the rich'. There’s a spaghetti-Western song with the line: 'I'm not standing just sitting, waiting for death to come' – complete with the right whistling. Other songs include Sodomy Is Not Just For Animals, What To Do With The Lung From A Tubercular Rooster, On Invisible Wings Even Fools Can Fly. Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen reach the top in comedy, musicianship, and powerful entertainment.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): The Great Muldavio – Clarinet. Guido Libido - Piano Accordion. Ivan – Double Bass. Mikelangelo – Baritone, Guitar. Rufino The Catalan Cassanova – Violin.
Company Credits: Technical Operators - Richard Marrod, Tim Matthew. Company - Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen. Website - www.oninvisiblewings.com
END
(c) Peter Andrews 2006
reviewed 8 August 06 / The Spiegel Garden
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
