Edinburgh Fringe Theatre reviews: Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence | Madonna on the Rocks + more
In our critics’ latest Fringe theatre round-up, the Scottish Play gets a musical revival on a netball court, while a show about making art as a new mother tries to explode the concept of the ‘mum show’
Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence
Assembly George Square Studios
(17)
★★★★☆
Macbeth has been adapted many times and in just as many ways, but never has the Scottish Play been transposed into the world of competitive netball before now. Explored through the lens of an all-female netball team, Dunsinane Hellhounds, this collaboration between West Australian company Crash Theatre Co. and House of Oz makes for a cutthroat but markedly less gory take on the literary classic. We meet the team: there’s Coach Duncan, a promising player in her day, sidelined by a torn ACL. Then, there’s ‘Mac’ in Wing Defence, who’s looking to move to Wing Attack. The position is currently occupied by team captain, Chloe Macduff – but not for long.
Featuring an entertaining and catchy electropop soundtrack (audiences will be pleased to learn this is also available on Spotify), there is a memorable section of acapella when The Dagger Divas (aka the Three Witches) appear, and the outro also includes a remix of the play's repertoire, elevating the already fast-paced choreography and superlative vocals. While onstage energy wanes during scenes of dialogue, it remains consistently high during musical numbers, and this only increases as Mac sets about usurping her fellow teammates by murdering their reputations.
Select quotes from Shakespeare’s original interweaves contemporary teen slang. In a netball context, the original lines are so self-aware as to be unserious, and the tragedy swiftly turns tragicomic. To be clear, Mac is not the character of Lady Macbeth – rather, the role of Macbeth is being played by a woman – and what the play loses through the omission or sublimation of its female characters into their male counterparts, it makes up for by celebrating women in sport. Ultimately, Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, highlighting the vanishing point whereby positive qualities such as passion and devotion are transformed, becoming poisonous.
JOSEPHINE BALFOUR-OATTS
until 25 August
Madonna on the Rocks
Assembly Roxy (Venue 139)
★★★☆☆
Actor Marie Hamilton comes from a line of artists. Both her mother and her grandmother became estranged from their own creative practices of painting and piano playing during pregnancy, and since becoming a mother herself, she is terrified of turning into them. Using autobiography and original music, Madonna on the Rocks has a ramshackle, disorderly, almost grotesque quality, not dissimilar from the chaos of new motherhood. Flapjacks fly everywhere, and the script is full of stomach-turning descriptions, such as of verruca-filled puddles at the local swimming pool.
In addition to performing herself, Hamilton plays her mother, other mothers, and the head of the domestic team at the swimming pool. This being between bodies, who appear suddenly and without warning, only adds to the commotion. Hamilton explores the tensions of being a mother and a daughter, how her responsibilities and loyalties are divided and seemingly incompatible. The delivery is often muted, perhaps to convey Hamilton’s exhaustion and fury as she puts her “darkest, nastiest thoughts” centre stage. “Making art is a proper job!” she mutters to no-one and everyone, determined to explode the concept of the ‘mum show’ whilst raising awareness of perinatal mental health, the second of which she achieves resoundingly.
JOSEPHINE BALFOUR-OATTS
until 24 August
Ill Behaviour
Summerhall (Venue 26)
★★★☆☆
Things get messy in this experimental show from Singaporean multi-disciplinary artist Suhui Hee.
Inspired by Hee’s experience of chronic illness, Ill Behaviour innovatively combines auscultation – the act of listening to the body’s internal sounds – and intense movement into a strange, visceral and compelling celebration of human corporeality.
It begins with two performers – Hee and XUE – spooning on a stainless-steel table, dressed in raggedy leotards. Hee has a microphone contraption strapped around her, via which the inner workings of her body can be heard. She awakes and begins sliding and scrambling around the stage. The crunch of her bones, the thump-thump of her heart, and the gurgle of her guts are woven together into an odd ASMR soundscape.
From there, Hee and XUE embark on a twisted, torturous pas de deux. Sometimes they writhe like creatures from a horror movie. Sometimes they stagger like wounded animals. Sometimes they embrace like lovers. As they move, the sampled noises of their bodies are worked into a live score, which evolves from ethereal to squelchy, sometimes sounding like a Brian Eno piece, sometimes like the score from Dune.
Finally, out comes the gunge. Hee and XUE take great globs of intestinal sludge and smear each other with it. Thankfully, a sheet of tarpaulin has been taped to the floor.
FERGUS MORGAN
until 10 August
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily
The Space Triplex (Venue 38)
★★★☆☆
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily appears innocuous at first. Dressed all in black, a party of three are covered in confetti and they are barely able to stand. They speak mostly in idioms `– “The drunk mind speaks a sober heart”; “The wise forgive but do not forget”; “Don’t have sex with the windows open: love may be blind, but the neighbours aren’t” – and this reinforces their meandering exchanges, fuelled by the vodka that they continue to swig neat from the bottle.
A rendition of the nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat recalls the play’s title and introduces a sinister edge, marking one of many excellent transitions that flash the company back to some point earlier in the evening, dancing together in a nightclub. The three demonstrate undeniable chemistry throughout, and sexual overtones are clear from the off.
As the night continues, they traverse subjects of love, beauty, sex, war, fear, hatred, boredom, and God. Finally, they agree to share their deepest secrets, but one of their number has an ulterior motive. The audience are not made privy to the secrets that pass between the characters, however, and so this motive, and the gravity it ultimately holds, remains unclear.
JOSEPHINE BALFOUR-OATTS
until 9 August
This Side of Life
C Arts C Venues C Aquila (Venue 21)
★★★☆☆
The nostalgic charm of Golden Age musicals is channelled in this ambitious production, complete with singing, acting, tap, and a six-piece band. Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society deliver a feel-good, lively show which at times feels a little overcrowded.
The story follows two hopeful performers chasing Broadway dreams and two Cockney con artists offering them a dubious shot at stardom. It’s an intriguing and recognisable tale about ambition and artists’ struggles, performed by a cast who show genuine promise. The two conmen are played with cheeky style and confident swagger as they switch between New York talent agents and their true selves.
Matt Williams’ score is full of 60s flair, with great numbers, including a witty song about “gaining exposure” where cast, music and tight choreography come together effectively. There’s also a special final duet, featuring beautiful vocals and harmonies.
Unfortunately, competing sound levels between band and performers make it difficult to hear key dialogue and lyrics, causing parts of the story to be lost. The tap dancing, while an affectionate nod to classic musicals, sometimes clashes with the band.
Improved sound mixing and clearer staging would allow the cast and multi-instrumental band members to have their deserved moment to shine. As it stands, it's a vibrant showcase of young talent with room to grow.
SUZANNE O'BRIEN
until 17 August
Seizure
Grand Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall (Venue 53)
★★☆☆☆
There are some good performances within this play-within-a-play, but a confusing, boring script, and an overdone concept means it never quite makes it off the ground. Seizure confounds reality with illusion: as a mystery is being unpicked on stage in the play’s fiction, it might just extend outside to the realm of the play’s reality. The performance burns slow to no reward, both its worlds are difficult to believe, and its climax is not predictable, but random and unsatisfying. The cast are generally competent, and they seem to form a lovely community, but it isn’t quite enough to make the 90 minutes worthwhile.
RÓISIN MCMULLAN
until 9 August
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