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An ambitious and touching Fringe production
LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE
Etcetera Theatre
DRIVEN from his home in the Ukraine by nationalists, Julien travels to Poland and France, falls in love, is sent to prison twice, and finally arrives in the UK towards the end of the Second World War.
Telling such a story with the humour, heartache and clarity it deserves requires real ambition, which this theatre company has in spades.
Train noises, a love dance and walking backwards to show his boat leaving Spain for England were just a few examples of the risks this highly physical theatre company, Boy Who Cried, were prepared to take.
Julien’s escape over the Pyrenees is depicted by Alastair Murden manipulating the limbs of a wooden marionette over the human terrain of the cast’s (Kim Herron, Claire Mallet, Jeremy Randall and Rose Van Hooff) knees as they lie on their backs and sing.
Most striking of all, perhaps, is the versatility of the actors, with each playing at least five characters.
The actors take it in turns to become the voice of the writer, Katherine Pearce, who seems rather keen on amateur Shakespearean asides.
The blacked-out room of the Etcetera Theatre is an uncompromisingly harsh stage making embarrassing scenes all the more vivid.
The company’s main focus is to update traditional storytelling for schools giving the feel of storytime and playtime rolled into one.
Nevertheless this is touching fringe theatre and definitely a story worth telling.
Until October 21
020 7482 4857 |
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