The most tragic thing about this production is how good it could have been. The tale of one man’s quest to buy a pack of cigarettes leads him to the seedy underbelly of the city, a pair of karmic hit-men, and a statuesque crime boss – all of which is written with melodramatic humour and naturalistic asides. The brilliance is, sadly, lost in the performance. It is a production devoid of energy; jokes do not fall but rather drift downwards to their final resting place, while all that comedic dialogue is simply too nervously delivered to be funny. Too many long-winded scene-changes break the flow and leave actors shuffling on-stage, apparently terrified of making eye-contact and failing to provide the vivacity this play so desperately needs.
Sweet Grassmarket, 15 – 29 Aug, 1.00pm (1.50pm), £8.00, fpp271.
tw rating 2/5
[ja]
Sections: by Jennifer Ajderian - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 2/5 | Tags: LIP Theatre Company, Sweet Venues
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