Michael Cox reviews The Letter of Last Resort/Good With People, Macbeth, Flaneurs and Speed of Light.
An eclectic day today. And as it’s the launch of the Edinburgh International Festival, I can no longer say that it's just another day on the Fringe. The day started with a return to the Traverse to see two plays, one by David Greig and the other by David Harrower.
First up, Greig's The Letter of Last Resort (****). Belinda Lang plays She, who happens to be the newly installed Prime Minister; Simon Chandler plays He, an advisor who has come to ask the new PM to complete a near-impossible task: to write the titular letter, which gives orders to nuclear submarines should the UK be destroyed.
The set-up is grim; the production is not. Greig is not only interested in the implications of nuclear war but also in the human drama that those in power go through when considering the use of such devastating weapons. Lang and Chandler are both terrific, and their conversation is humorous, insightful and, frighteningly, completely plausible. It's a great production that is only let down by the final minute, an unneeded epilogue that only manages to dwarf the impact of everything else.
Harrower's Good With People (****) is a rather touching two-hander. Helen, played by Blythe Duff, runs a small seaside B&B, and the latest guest is Evan (Richard Rankin), a local boy who has returned to the area after being abroad for years. There is history between these two: in childhood, Evan had bullied Helen's son.
What's rather remarkable about Harrower's play is how humane everything is. Both are broken characters, and through the course of 24 hours they come to terms with the past and each other. It's a rather beautiful story that is brilliantly staged, and Duff and Rankin are both excellent.
Polish company Song of the Goat are a highly acclaimed group that are a Fringe favourite, so the decision to perform their production of Macbeth (***) only three times seems an odd choice. Things weren't improved when, right before curtain, we were told that the company hadn't had a chance to rehearse in Scotland and that the stage they were on was smaller than they'd thought so there might be problems.
Big mistake. The second you let on that things might not go smoothly the knives come out and expectations of failure are raised. So saying that Macbeth isn't a failure but simply a let-down is, perhaps, a slight success.
All I do know is that the performance was a mixture of triumph and disappointment. Most of the actors struggled with the clarity or sense of their lines, and as the production clocks in at an hour, much has been cut and rearranged.
However, musically and physically, the production is full of excitement and potent images. Duncan ascending a platform and stepping through light after his murder, beautiful choreographed movement incorporating swordplay and the closing scene of Macduff actually blowing out Macbeth's 'brief candle' are just a few choice moments that impress and resonate, all of which has a soundtrack of hums and chants that are hypnotic. The good might counteract the bad, but only just, resulting in an unfortunate disappointment.
Jenna Watt's Flaneurs (***) takes an intriguing look at the bystander effect, where a group of people witness something but fail to react. Watt's production was born out of experience: people near and dear to her were attacked without onlookers intervening. Watt also ties this in with a passion of hers: to flaner, a French term meaning to stroll around a space and enjoy it.
On the whole, Watt's production works well. It is smart and touching, and her performance is warm and engaging. If she's let down by anything, it is the venue she's currently playing in. The Dissection Room has awful acoustics, and many of her sound recordings of interviews were difficult to comprehend. Perhaps in a smaller space or in a venue with a better environment Flaneurs would be a more successful experience. As it is, it is a good production with a great performance.
Much has been made about Speed of Light (****) for a long time, and hype can have a negative reaction. The event is as advertised: you go on a walk up Arthur's Seat while people dressed in light outfits create formations. It is all very impressive, though given the rather large space it does, at times, feel as if the light formations are dwarfed by the view of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
To aid in the walk, you are given a large walking stick. These sticks, for many, we're the most impressive aspect, for they were beautiful, practical and denoted the location of other groups, thus adding another lighting effect. These sticks also have flashing tops that activate when you shake them or touch the ground, and they emit noises as you near the summit.
I found the experience a rewarding one. The press images of blurred light trails and formations can't be replicated in real life, but the whole affair is greatly stage managed, and like the best of art, I found the whole experience an unforgettable success.
The Letter of Last Resort/Good With People is at the Traverse, Macbeth and Flaneurs are at Summerhall and Speed of Light is at Arthur's Seat. Check programme or website for dates and times.
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