An afternoon filled with joy
Bedlam Theatre, the home of the Edinburgh University Theatre Company (EUTC), returns to the Fringe with a programme spanning theatre, musicals and comedy. The launch showcase offers a lively introduction to the range of work audiences can expect, moving between political satire, comedy, new writing, musical theatre and experimental performance.
Opening the showcase is Dystopia 26: The Rock Opera, with a singer wearing a wig resembling Boris Johnson’s instantly recognisable hairstyle, while the band appear behind creepy smiling masks depicting Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un. A song about elections and political slogans sets the tone, using the conventions of musical theatre to turn contemporary political imagery into something deliberately absurd.
The political edge at a larger scale gives way to a much smaller political reality with Michael John Ciszewski: Mother, Superior. The New York comedian gives a short act about his relationship with his mother and his religious upbringing.
Next comes Betsy and Patty Find Out, a two-hander performed from the perspective of two cows. Although only one is here for the showcase, the comedy follows her monologue as she passes the time talking about her missing partner while waiting in line at their factory farm home, shifting the showcase towards a more surreal and playful kind of humour.
EUTC’s own Cogito, Ergo… Something? continues that comic spirit. The new play follows two posh students who kill their friend because they find him boring, with a seemingly more classic format.
Hard Pill then moves into a Boots waiting area, exploring teenage life and sex, having a more Scottish touch in the programme.
Ulysses of Scranton, a production from Scranton Fringe Festival and New Vintage Ensemble in Scranton, Pennsylvania, brings some classicness to the showcase by taking James Joyce’s Ulysses as its starting point. They attempt to bring the famously challenging novel to the stage, blending its modern Scranton setting with the Dublin of the early twentieth century.
EUTC’s Last Orders, an all-female cast-led Western cowboy tale that is incredibly hilarious, including lip-syncing and line-dancing, follows.
The Improverts! bring another change of format. Framed around a fictional podcast, in today’s version, the two are talking about memories from their past while three other members will be picturing the scene with their bodies.
Closing the afternoon is Delphi: The Musical, presented by Theatre Movement Bazaar. The production brings another shift in style and perspective, retelling ancient Greek material through a modern setting at the Oracle of Delphi, while bringing more POC performers into the showcase.
This year’s showcase at Bedlam Theatre shows a variety of comedic performances, from political satire to deeply personal matters, from improvisation to brilliantly written original texts, showing the diversity that exists within the form of theatre.
Find all Bedlam Fringe shows here