ED FRINGE 2023 REVIEWS: BEN TARGET: LORENZO, BUTCHERED, DAS WEBEN, DECLAN

BEN TARGET: LORENZO ★★★

ANATOMY LECTURE THEATRE, SUMMERHALL

Ben Target may have the smoothest voice in storytelling at this year’s fringe, with the audience in the palm of his hands as he tells us about his uncle, Lorenzo Wong. Welcoming us in with the offer of coffee at the entrance to the beautiful Anatomy Theatre at Summerhall, which is a gesture brought up in the show relating to a previous job, Ben not only tells us a beautiful story about chosen families, but allows us as an audience to be invited to talk and share our fantasy deaths; for context, mine was being in a building on fire saving a cat, when it suddenly explodes. One of the earlier time slots of the fringe, Ben Target: Lorenzo is a warm and fuzzy production that makes us walk away with soothing afterthoughts, and a spring in our step.

BUTCHERED ★★★★

IRON BELLY, UNDERBELLY COWGATE

In this genre-bending experience, it’s no surprise that throughout I could see audience members looking away from the action; Expial Atrocious have brought to Edinburgh something that could only be described as a horror experience that turns the gore to max. Starting off quite gentle, pristine choreography carries quite a dingy tale, but as the play unravels, and our two characters start to butt heads, the play takes a drastic turn, and one that felt worse than what the victims of the Saw movie franchise go through; Butchered is certainly not for the faint hearted. It’s a powerful first production from this new company that was nominated for an award at this year’s Vault Festival.

DAS WEBEN ★★

FOREST THEATRE, GREENSIDE THEATRE, INFIRMARY STREET

A story with little structure, Das Weben fails on the basis to engage an audience when the script lacks any tension. The performances from this Durham University troupe are fairly believable, with the Ringmaster and Rumplestiltskin taking center stage with the most stylistic mannerisms, but the idea that we must 'save' one of the victims from a circus hinders on us actually having to have empathy for those imprisoned; it's macabre-esque direction intertwines moments of The Greatest Showman meets Grimm's Tales, with the strongest scenes involving the ensemble as a whole, and the dance sequences where the Ringmaster lures the victims to their cages must be given some credit, it's just a shame the script lacks any depth.

DECLAN ★★★★

BELLY LAUGH, UNDERBELLY COWGATE

It’s a strong debut for the Chippenham-born playwright Alistair Hall, who has clearly gone back to their roots in voice and mannerisms to embody the role of Jimbo, a loner who longs to find a solution to the disappearance of his childhood friend, Declan. At times spooky, yet enduring, the performance from Hall draws you in, thanks also to the dim lit room that helps us concentrate on nothing else but the words which flow and escalate the piece. Jamie Lu’s Design also provides an eerie, yet at times subtle, soundscape that elevates the piece. At a running time of just over 40 minutes, you are taken away from the bustling streets of Edinburgh during fringe, and thrown into a dank and dreary tale of loss, and family domestics.