ED2011 Theatre Review: Flesh Eating Tiger (CalArts Festival Theater)

Setting a play within a play on a stage with no walls whilst you break the fourth wall of the play within the play? Sounds a bit Charlie Kaufman meets Tristram Shandy. But what’s surprising is quite how well it works: a darkly funny ride through the tormented relationship between a writer and an alcoholic director that may or may not be as real as it seems. Jarring shifts into the absurd threaten to capsize it, but sharp, semi-improvised dialogue and the pervading meta-fictional vibe avert disaster well before it strikes. It’s bolstered by fascinatingly physical performances from the two leads, making for a funny, moving and intriguing tale about love and the nature of addiction.

Venue 13, 5 – 20 Aug (not 8, 15, 16), 7.00pm (8.00pm), £5.00 – £7.00, fpp265.
tw rating 4/5
[rss]

Sections: by Ross Sweeney - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 4/5 | Tags: CalArts, Venue 13

Also from ThreeWeeks...

ED2011 Theatre Review: Anton’s Uncles (Theatre Movement Bazaar)
Dance and physical theatre are fused in this adaptation of Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’. Combining text from the original play with new writing, the story is updated to modern times and...
ED2011 Theatre Review: Daughter Of A Cuban Revolutionary (CalArts Festival Theatre)
Being the ‘Daughter Of A Cuban Revolutionary’ comes, as you might expect, with some emotional baggage. Not only was Marissa Chibas’ father, Raul, a major figure in the Cuban revolution,...
ED2011 Theatre Review: Little Eyolf (CalArts Festival Theatre)
Mixing modern music with Ibsen’s 100-year-old play creates less of an impact than I’d hoped. Mostly used for scene transition, it came across as a gimmick rather than a device....

GET ALERTS OF NEW THREEWEEKS CONTENT: Click here to sign up to the free ThreeWeeks email

Friday August 19th, 2011 13:17

Also from ThreeWeeks...

ED2011 Theatre Review: Anton’s Uncles (Theatre Movement Bazaar)Dance and physical theatre are fused in this adaptation of Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’. Combining text from the original play with new writing, the story is updated to modern times and...

Dance and physical theatre are fused in this adaptation of Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’. Combining text from the original play with new writing, the story is updated to modern times and...

ED2011 Theatre Review: Daughter Of A Cuban Revolutionary (CalArts Festival Theatre)Being the ‘Daughter Of A Cuban Revolutionary’ comes, as you might expect, with some emotional baggage. Not only was Marissa Chibas’ father, Raul, a major figure in the Cuban revolution,...

Being the ‘Daughter Of A Cuban Revolutionary’ comes, as you might expect, with some emotional baggage. Not only was Marissa Chibas’ father, Raul, a major figure in the Cuban revolution,...

ED2011 Theatre Review: Little Eyolf (CalArts Festival Theatre)Mixing modern music with Ibsen’s 100-year-old play creates less of an impact than I’d hoped. Mostly used for scene transition, it came across as a gimmick rather than a device....

Mixing modern music with Ibsen’s 100-year-old play creates less of an impact than I’d hoped. Mostly used for scene transition, it came across as a gimmick rather than a device....

ED2011 Theatre Review: Anton’s Uncles (Theatre Movement Bazaar)
Dance and physical theatre are fused in this adaptation of Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’. Combining text from the original play with new writing, the story is updated to modern times and...

ED2011 Theatre Review: Daughter Of A Cuban Revolutionary (CalArts Festival Theatre)
Being the ‘Daughter Of A Cuban Revolutionary’ comes, as you might expect, with some emotional baggage. Not only was Marissa Chibas’ father, Raul, a major figure in the Cuban revolution,...

ED2011 Theatre Review: Little Eyolf (CalArts Festival Theatre)
Mixing modern music with Ibsen’s 100-year-old play creates less of an impact than I’d hoped. Mostly used for scene transition, it came across as a gimmick rather than a device....