Fifth Dimension at the Edinburgh Fringe
07/08/2006

Well not quite but Jeff is down checking out suitable venues for a possible Fifth Dimension show for 2007. This week he will be sampling over 20 different shows and has therefore decided to give a review of the shows on our website and so over to Jeff!

Monday 7th August

Shakespeare for Breakfast
Price: £3.75
Venue: C +3 (Venue 34)
Time 10am

A great opening show which combines a simple plot line with Shakespearian quotes and as many other references and song lyrics that it can fit in during the hour long show.

If you are expecting a full cooked breakfast served whilst someone reads from Shakespeare then you will be in for a surprise! Coffee and a croissant together with a fun filled cast of 5 females performing an unusual love story. We pretty much laughed for the whole hour and it could only be described as pantomime meets Romeo and Juliet (together with some Karaoke and Twister!)

The venue sat about 250 people and there were only 3 spare seats that we could see (obviously the lure of coffee and croissants were a popular pull. This is the 15th year running that Breakfast with Shakespeare has run at the Fringe and it is well worth seeing.

The venue would be a great location for the Fifth Dimension show but we still have many different shows to see!

One Night Stan
Price: £8.50
Venue: Café Royal
Time: 16:00

This is a one man play set during a time when Laurel & Hardy's star was waning and the day after 'Babe' Hardy has a suspected stroke. It tells of Laurel's life and how the partnership came together and indeed the mechanics behind the comedy. As Laurel says, he waited and worked hard for 10 years in America before becoming an overnight sensation!

The character acting for Laurel is less believable than the other characters that Miles Gallant (who also wrote "One Night Stan") plays. Indeed he becomes much more believable as Stan Laurel's father, possibly because the audience cannot compare the actor to the real thing. There are many touching moments but it dragged for the first 20 minutes.

The venue was set for approx 120 seats and there were only 6 people in the audience (including me and a friend) However, the performance would have suggested that the actor was playing to many more people than that and it did not seem to detract from his enthusiasm, although I certainly left feeling sorry for the actor (not a feeling that any performer would want their audience to experience!)

Caesar Twins
Price: £5.75 (1/2 price ticket)
Venue: Grand Pleasance Hall
Time: 20:00

An amazing show of talent and acrobatic moves by twin brothers Pierre and Pablo. The show starts with some gentle comedy before the main start enter the stage. These 26 year old performers have incredible strength and agility but combine it with a chemistry that the audience certainly appreciated.

Similar in style to Cirque D'Soleil, these performers delighted and amazed the audience with a series of vignettes and scenarios. A highlight was a re-enactment of a Playstation game with the performers playing the characters in real life complete with all the 'moves' that Playstation characters can generate!

During the show, the brothers also give a glimpse into their private life and how one performance....well, perhaps I should not spoil the show for those who plan to see it.


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