What I liked
Nearly everything worked. And worked brilliantly. The acting was killer all around, but a special shout out to the comic genius of the actors who played Ranger Dave (I can’t even with this guy), Mumbo, Frederick, and the Bear (so loved the surprise of him showing up towards the end). Sets and costumes were perfect and inventive. Really one of the best things I’ve ever seen in a Fringe festival.
What I didn't like
The show could be just a bit shorter. I felt a little lass enthralled around the part of the play where the silhouette scene happened, though I was certainly NEVER bored or un-engaged on any level. (Somehow that silhouette scene didn’t fully land, even though the effect/visual was fantastic.) I also feel like the end didn’t quite pack the punch that it should. It was like the whole play was in turbo technicolor, and then the end of the show was sort of truncated and in black and white. Also, the October/February performance didn’t feel as clear and compelling as the others, which was strange as it seems like it is intended to anchor the whole piece. And I had no idea what the cranes meant, but I didn’t care and totally bought in. (And the actress who dropped them had a perfect presence for that part.) Just a great show.
My overall impression
This show is an absolute home run! It’s smart, weird, brilliantly funny, and breathtakingly specific. The show just had so much VOICE. The acting was beyond committed and was absurdly over the top, yet still totally managed to feel truthful and human and, dare I say… subtle? (Yes, they somehow managed a whole lot of subtlety in something markedly Baroque.) The level of nuance and specificity and humor and detail and smarts in the design elements (costumes, sets, props) would have been impressive in a $50,000 production, let alone in a Fringe show. (Don’t even get me started on the genius of Imogen’s costume details.) This show just created such a vivid and specific world, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I am bored and unimpressed by most theatre I see, and I was in heaven watching this piece. A TOTAL MUST-SEE!
