Fringein’ Amazing: Warwick shows wow at Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Fringe? 12 months ago I’d never heard of it. But half a year later when the opportunity to cover, what I now understand as the biggest arts festival in the world, slipped into my inbox I jumped at the chance. The prospect of a healthy helping of the arts alongside a hearty side dish of Haggis was simply too mouth watering to turn down. With a good enough reason to brave the Scottish weather, I took the plunge.

Seven days and 20 shows later I can honestly say: it was fringein’ amazing! An unforgettable immersion into the performing arts with a little something for everyone. Edinburgh in August is the only place on earth you can listen to a solemn talk by the Rev. Jesse Jackson before heading straight out of the door and down a cobbled street to go and watch half-naked men covered in body paint devouring flames. Bonkers, busy and utterly amazing, there’s nothing like The Fringe experience.

Amongst the masses of productions, there was one bright spot incredibly close to my heart. That of course was the success of shows linked to The University of Warwick- brought to the nations attention in a glowing piece by The Guardian. We should all be proud to say some of the Fringes’ most poignant, thought provoking displays first emanated from our very own Warwick Arts Centre. I got the chance to see three of the best Warwick productions in Edinburgh, here’s my verdict:

Bonkers, busy and utterly amazing, there’s nothing like The Fringe experience.

MTW Presents Witch

The best kind of hysteria? Medieval era witch hunt fuelled hysteria of course. Music Theatre Warwick’s take on the theme was charmingly dark, accompanied by a superb contemporary musical score and some spellbinding performances. The plot starts a little sluggishly before jerking into life once the flashbacks begin. It revolves around Leah (Lucy Cooper), a teenage witch eager to learn about her dark ancestry. So eager she takes part in a painful looking blood letting incantation in order to conjure up visions of the past. Cooper’s cerebral and confident take on the teenage witch had a hint of Emma Watson to it, with some softly sung yet sinister spells to boot.

Once we’re taken back in time, the dark and ominous aura of suspicion comes into it’s own, underpinned by some superb musical numbers. The score put together by Chris Poon and Tom Slade helps take us seamlessly from scene to scene, happier moments of village revelry, segue into the dark scenes of death, sorrow and horror, all accompanied by songs wonderfully delivered by a cast who proved more than vocally competent.

The trio of maids (Louise Kenny, Jess Abrahams and Emma Jelly) combined for some ghoulish harmonies sharp enough to send chills down ones the spine, whilst elsewhere the shows most stellar performance was produced by Beckie Barkham. As the evil Agnes Payne she provided the show with the sort of vicious, self indulgent villain every witch story needs.

Walrus Theatre Presents Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons

Subtle yet so obviously brilliant, Lemons is one of this years must see productions at The Fringe. It’s the complex, well thought out and well delivered two person show, which has left tongues wagging up and down Edinburgh. First performed on campus at the Arts Centre, Lemons main strength lies in the fact it’s beautifully multi-faceted. At one level the drama is a heart-warming rom-com, tracing the lives of two lovers; Bernadette a headstrong divorce lawyer (Beth Holmes) and Oliver (Euan Kitson) a sometimes pretentious political activist who first meet amidst the slightly less than romantic backdrop of a cat cemetery. They eventually move in together and share some refreshingly intimate moments. In a testament to the Sam Steiner’s superb script writing skills, they convey the strength of their affections without once touching one another- dialogue is all they need.

Their happiness is however cut short, as the government imposes draconian legislation aimed at regulating speech. A daily limit of 140 words is introduced much to the couple’s dismay. As the mood darkens, Lemons becomes a politically charged social critique. In one of the shows stand out moments a frenzied Oliver laments the loss of free speech, the one vessel able to give hope to the masses, arguing that those who otherwise would be powerless in the face of exploitation by the few who hold the balance of power need all they words they can get.

It’s not all doom and gloom, Bernadette and Oliver’s struggles with the word limit make for some light moments of comic relief- the deeply touching human side of the drama never abandoned. Whether you view it as a reflection on the power of language, a subtle protest against word limits imposed by social media, a commentary on government oppression through austerity and other measures or just a plain old love story, Lemons is way sweeter than the title would suggest.

A Wicked Little Town Presents Hedwig and The Angry Inch

Successfully tackling the role of Hedwig, the loudmouth, lovelorn transsexual rock star born on the wrong side of the Berlin wall in a 1 hour 40 minute performance is no mean feat. Film Studies student Jake Benson fitted the role and those racey leather boots like a glove. Conjuring up a barnstorming display that oozed charisma, he held onto the attention of his audience impressively, helped along the way by a strong 5-piece band who energetically supported his frequent bursts into searing metal ballads extremely well.

A Wicked Towns’ adaptation of the 1998 musical sees Hedwig take the audience on a dizzying journey. She recalls her life story beginning with her youth growing up as a boy in Germany listening to the American songs on the radio and mulling over Aristophanes’ speech in Plato’s Symposium, the myth which leads Hedwig into a search for her other half on the other side of the world. Hedwig meets an American sugar daddy Luther, who coaxes her into a sex change before they leave for the states. She picks the story back up abandoned in a trailer park, smarting over a botched sex change and thoroughly unhappy. She eventually meets a young singer named Tommy Gnosis, the pair fall love but Tommy spurns her advances when introduced to the angry inch (what’s left of her private parts).

Benson runs through each and every one of Hedwig’s emotions brilliantly, her indignation, her anger and her sadness come across effectively. He also keeps the audience on their toes with some crowd interaction leading stand ups would be proud of, flying into the front row with hilarious results. Contemporary references to Grindr and Cecil the lion at choice moments don’t go amiss either in a stirring production with an emotional ending.