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Michael Cox reviews The Events, Cadre, I'm With the Band and Ciera.
One of the Fringe’s beacons, for audiences and critics alike, is the Traverse. Every year, the venue offers a variety—both in theme and in quality.
Take David Greig’s The Events (****). The play, which follows the aftermath of a mass shooting, is harrowing stuff. The play fractures along two narratives: that of the shooter, who targets a local church choir, and the female priest of the effected church.
Acting as the community is a local choir. Their singing is lovely, their acting (only occasionally are they required to deliver lines) can be patchy at times. But there is something refreshingly honest about their constant presence on stage, serving as a literal chorus.
However, the two main actors are terrific. Neve McIntosh is heart-breaking as the priest, a woman haunted by the titular ‘events’ and looking for meaning and purpose. Rudi Dharmalingam is equally compelling as The Boy, a role that requires him to take up multiple roles, including the shooter and people from his life. Both actors are utterly electric, individually and together, resulting in a production that might not quite make complete linear sense but feels emotionally rewarding.
As well-intentioned but not as successful is Cadre (***), an earnest look at the fight against Apartheid in South Africa. Following the life of a young man, the play is in two parts: his teenage years and his rise within the resistance and then jumping forward in time to see him fulfil a mission based in both politics and revenge.
The acting, design and direction are all second to none. The cast of three, equally excellent in their performances, bounce around time and characters and paint compelling portraits. The action is well-judged and the design consistently engaging, particularly its rather fantastic use of shadows.
However, Omphile Molusi’s script seems a bit flimsy. The story’s two-part structure, filled with interesting aspects, feels underserved: the first half feels a little more complete yet wouldn’t stand well on its own, whereas the second half feels underdeveloped, particularly the final ten minutes.
There is a compelling story to be told here, and there are flashes of excellence within the production. It is a pity the story feels like it’s missing a few beats.
Missing far more than a few beats is Tim Price’s juvenile I’m With the Band (**), Price’s theatrical reaction to Scotland’s potential independence. The Union is a four-man rock band, and guitarist Barry wants out when the manager leaves the band broke and near bankruptcy. Will the Union survive without him or even manage to get him to come back?
Who cares? The play’s concept might be clever for a youth theatre group, but coming from a well-respected playwright with a solid track record, performing around the UK and premiering in Scotland on one of the most important theatre stages? Surely this is not the best anyone can offer up for this important debate.
As dreadful as the script is, one cannot fault the production. Director Hamish Pirie gets four great performances out of his cast, and the music is quite well managed. But it’s impossible to get past the awful script, which is frankly insulting on numerous levels. This is a show that should have had the plug pulled long ago.
All of which makes David Harrower’s thrilling new play Ciara (****) all the better: it is new writing at its finest. Starring Blythe Duff and directed by the Traverse’s own artistic director Orla O’Loughlin, the play is an 80-minute monologue focusing on the life of the daughter of a Glaswegian gangster. As an adult, Ciara makes a mark as the owner of a successful art gallery, but family ties and the past means the criminal underworld is always close at hand.
The whole production is thrilling stuff. Duff is phenomenal as the titular character, an intelligent woman whose passion for art just about offers a respectable escape, only to be pulled back into illegal dealings. The production moves at a quick pace, and the line between comedy and drama is well balanced.
All of this doesn’t just make Ciara the best thing on the Traverse One stage this Fringe but also one of the best productions of this festival. Do not miss it.
The Events, Cadre, I’m With the Band and Ciara play at the Traverse until Aug 25. Check website for specific times as they shift daily.
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