Arts:Blog

Festival Review: Murmel Murmel **

Michael Cox reviews an unfortunately repetitive production.

Anyone with children (or who has been around children) will surely recognize the following scenario. A kid performs a new trick. You laugh because it’s humorous, even perhaps clever and charming. They get excited by the reaction so they perform it again. Again, you laugh—more out of kindness or support. They do it again. And again. And again. The trick is the same, but all the charm has soon been zapped out and what had amused is just now a form of annoyance.

Those looking for a similar experience within the theatre will be happy to know that they can find it in Murmel Murmel, a theatrical experiment with the kernel of a good idea that goes horribly wrong fast.

That isn’t to say that Herbert Fritsch’s production (he both directed and designed it) is a failure. His cast is excellent, mixing qualities of theatre, dance and music with superb skill. It is that the conceit, that the only thing that is ever said on stage is the word ‘murmel’, is quickly beaten into submission.

Each scenario that is presented is funny, sometimes downright hysterical, the first time we see it. Sadly, rather than consistently finding new discoveries, the same jokes are repeated, sometimes as frequently as the word. Even the curtain call gives each actor another opportunity to perform their biggest moment, as if doing it at least half a dozen times within the production wasn’t enough.

What this sadly means is that this sharp looking, occasionally funny production isn’t as lively, insightful or hilarious as it could be. Instead, it is mostly boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. BOring. BORing. BORIng. BORINg. BORING. bORING. boRING. borING. boriNG. borinG. bOring. boRing. borIng. boriNg. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring! Boooooring. Booorrrrrrriiiiiingg. Booooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg.

I was tempted to write that 85 times, once for each minute spent in this mostly tedious production. But unlike its director, I think you get the point.

Murmel Murmel was presented at the Kings Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Its run has finished.