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Michael Cox reviews Adam Long's Dickens Abridged, Titania--A Solo Cabaret and The Turn of the Screw.
Adaptation: a difficult art to master. Distilling larger works onto the stage is difficult enough, but trying to fit into a Fringe timescale, meaning you'll have about an hour to tell your story, makes things even harder.
So kudos to the production of Adam Long’s Dickens Abridged (****) for shooting for the moon: not only does the production reference much of Dickens’ work but also takes a crack at giving a biographical glance as well, all at a hilarious breakneck hour.
Anyone familiar with the Reduced Shakespeare Company will have a solid idea of what to expect (as Long was a founding member)—four men play every role, donning costumes and wigs, using sets and props and engaging in vocal gymnastics to nail different characters. Without much surprise, some moments work better than others, and as the energy and lines are constantly kinetic in nature, perhaps those who are familiar with Dickens will be in on the joke more. But the silliness and affection for the material elevates the production above most parodies. It’s also at its best when it goes quick (Bleak House in a minute-long song) or takes its time (A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol in longer narratives with multiple songs).
Innovative? Not at all, but it's terrifically funny, good hearted and wonderfully theatrical.
On the opposite side is Titania—A Solo Cabaret (***). Anna-Helena McLean’s solo show is a celebration of music and poetry, using the fairy plot thread of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a dramatic jumping off point.
McLean’s skills are phenomenal: her cello playing is beautiful, her physicality tremendously seductive and gorgeous. But it is her vocal treatment of Shakespeare’s language that truly impresses, bringing a haunting musicality to the words that is rarely heard and enjoyed.
It is a shame then that the production doesn’t quite hold together. Summerhall is indeed the right venue for such a brave treatment but the actual site used here is terrible for sound, making many moments difficult to understand. McLean’s use of audience participation is patchy, working less often than not, and structurally it is all but impossible to understand without a working knowledge of Midsummer.
But McLean’s talents cannot be denied and are a treasure to behold—it would just be better if they could be enjoyed in a place with better acoustics and with a script with more dramaturgical sense.
What does work, remarkably well, is RoundPeg’s The Turn of the Screw (****). No tricks or gimmicks here: two actors, Suzy Whitefield and Rik Grayson, tell Henry James’ tale of a possible haunting with simplistic clarity. Whitefield plays the governess hired to care for two children on a remote estate; Grayson plays the large cast of characters she encounters.
The Baillie Room is tiny, but that claustrophobic sense is put to excellent use here, creating a production that is far more intimate than one usually finds on the Fringe. Those not familiar with James’ story will have little trouble following the narrative, yet those who know what’s coming are still given a nice sense of foreboding as the governess’s fate becomes locked.
Director Imogen Breech has done a great job in keeping the pace quick while never making things feel rushed, and Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation does well in covering the basics of James’ story while giving key moments a chance to dramatically breathe. But the true success lies with its two performers, both of whom do a fantastic job in not just playing their roles but creating believable relationships between the ensemble of characters.
Adam Long’s Dickens Abridged was at the Pleasance Courtyard but is touring the UK. Titania: A Solo Cabaret performed at Summerhall. The Turn of the Screw was on at the Assembly Hall. All runs of completed their Edinburgh performances.
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