› Articles
Fringe review: Velvet ScratchOh, the smell of fresh strawberries…
|
||||||
|
Ravens, bloody hearts, undead, the underworld. Edgar Allan Poe and Tim Burton seem to have paid a brief visit to the Theatre Lab in London. Theatre Lab Company’s latest production is a quirky and macabre piece of simple storytelling, set in an evocative underworld populated by three characters that, over the course of the performance, unravel the tale of their own demise and death. Accompanied only by a live acoustic guitar, punctuating and subtly underscoring the text, we are introduced to the underworld through the narrator’s cry for the tastes of life – of blood – visually symbolized by (lovely smelling) strawberries being crushed in her hands. The strawberries will return… Having established the life of the dead, the actors proceed to introduce us to the port town whence they came. We are treated to a local rogue’s gallery and their stories, played with imagination and visual flair. A through line begins to emerge as aspects of these stories converge and keep returning to “the big day” and Edgar (“my Edgar” as our narrator refers to him) the mayor. While the three actors are admirable in their attempt to populate a whole town, in presentation they are somewhat inconsistent. Unfortunately the male characters are far too similar to one another (captain, garbage man, father, cook) and the ensemble play is not as precise as it could be. Bruno the cook’s ‘song’ needed to be more comic or more musical but unfortunately fell somewhere in between. Likewise, the physicality of Velvet Scratch fell somewhat short of its promise. These, however, are not major stumbling blocks, as the rich visual imagery and strength of the cleverly varied little stories carry us toward the seemingly inevitable tragic end of the main story. Of particular note are the stories of Graciella (sp?) and her father and Theodore the captain. The poignancy, tenderness and sorrow which the main story is elegantly and ironically told and played would be ruined if I described it here. It’s worth it. Oh, the smell of fresh strawberries… (Note: apologies for not mentioning actors and characters by name, but without a program, this is difficult to do – I will happily revise this review later with more information. A.B.) Theatre Lab Company Velvet Scratch Divadlo Nablizko, until 3.6, 23:00 Review by Amiel Bruch Read more Fringe reviews... [ Updated daily.. ] Running Friday 27th through Sunday the 4th, performers from across the globe are set to delight festival-goers with an eclectic mix of theatre, cabaret, and music. TICKETS Tickets can be purchased online from Ticketsteam, or can be bought at each of the Fringe Theatres 30 minutes before the first show each day from Fringe Festival Assistants. Cost: 150 CZK | 50 CZK for students Prague TV's Event Detail | Full Program--> |
Article added on Thu 31st May, 2007 Share this page 
|
| COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE | ||
| READ ALL ART AND CULTURE ARTICLES MORE ART AND CULTURE ARTICLES |
|
Interview: Al Di Meola by Frank Kuznik American Jazz Guitarist Added on Fri 11th May, 2012 (Last updated Fri 11th May, 2012) |
|
Cycle to Work Campaign by www.dopracenakole.net Alernative Commuting Added on Mon 16th Apr, 2012 (Last updated Mon 16th Apr, 2012) |
|
Prague Youth Theatre Summer Courses by Prague Youth Theatre Press Release Added on Thu 12th Apr, 2012 |
|
Review: The Eden Game by Sam Beckwith Staged Reading of Havel Play Added on Sun 1st Apr, 2012 (Last updated Mon 23rd Apr, 2012) |
|
Ladies Only by Lucie Kavanová Women-Only Train Compartments Added on Thu 16th Feb, 2012 (Last updated Thu 16th Feb, 2012) |
|
Interview: Jean-Paul Bourelly of the Black Stone Raiders by Frank Kuznik Jazz/Blues Guitarist Added on Tue 7th Feb, 2012 (Last updated Tue 7th Feb, 2012) |
|
In the Name of Havel by Ivana Svobodová Renaming Czech Streets Added on Fri 13th Jan, 2012 (Last updated Fri 13th Jan, 2012) |
|
Steamin' on the Piazzeta by Mary Matz Národní Divadlo Piazzeta Sauna Added on Tue 27th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 27th Dec, 2011) |
|
Commentary: Art and Democracy Sent to Prison by Erik Tabery Roman Týc & Ztohoven Added on Tue 20th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 20th Dec, 2011) |
|
Pacey: Doing It My Way by PTV Staff Paul Pacey Interview Added on Fri 16th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 20th Dec, 2011) |
|
The Nightlife of a Great Yogi by Petr Třešňak Swami Maheshvarananda Sex Scandal Added on Mon 12th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Mon 12th Dec, 2011) |
|
Follow-Up: Who's Afraid of Alexei Zakharov? by Hana Čápová Dolní Olešnice Update Added on Tue 6th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 6th Dec, 2011) |
|
Quiet Revolution by Mary Matz How Ballet is Changing Added on Thu 24th Nov, 2011 (Last updated Thu 24th Nov, 2011) |
|
The Best Prague Blogs in the English Language by Isabella Woods Expat Blogosphere Added on Thu 17th Nov, 2011 (Last updated Thu 17th Nov, 2011) |
|
The Beauty of Dumplings by Lucie Kavanová Knedlíky Láznička Added on Thu 17th Nov, 2011 (Last updated Thu 17th Nov, 2011) |
| READ ALL ART AND CULTURE ARTICLES |
Visit the Art and Culture main page
Find listings, help forums, tips and more
Galeria Harfa
The biggest shopping & administration mall in Prague
Ristorante Soave
La cucina italiana
Century 21
World Leader in Real Estate
MORE ARTICLES
Prague TV Home | Contact | About | FAQ | Site Map | Search | Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Service
Prague TV is a Real Time Production. ©2012 All rights reserved.
