This is a series of six plays performed in two sets of three (even dates) and alternating with another set of six plays (Light Bites) in a similar format (odd dates). The venue is up three flights of stairs and there is no provision for disabled access. The room was large and about half full for the three plays I saw, and the audience looked to be enjoying themselves.
The first play, ‘Six Minutes and Counting’, was a funny look at the end of the world, from inside the military facility which is about to start the whole thing. Some good acting, a few props and a fair few bad accents and this was over almost before it had got going.
The second play, ‘North’, however, dragged, as the characters were a couple of modern hippy yuppies lost in the bush and trying to out-do one another in macho and eco terms. I was praying for a couple of koalas to jump out and kill them but sadly the end just wasn’t gory enough. Plus there were a lot of Australian terms that may have left the audience mystified (sure Rudd and MX may be understandable in context but who outside of New South Wales even knows what NRMA stands for?).
The third and last play in this set, ‘Tight Spot’, dealt with the classic situation of a couple trapped in a lift. Here, however the couple are a more mature married pair and a few things come out which may spell the end for their relationship. If they could only tell where the lies end and the truth begins. Lots of funny lines in this and the acting was excellent.
So, three plays, all focussing on people caught in a tight spot. They’re all short (ten minutes) and there is enough comedy to make you wish you’d bought a ticket to see the second half of the plays. But wait! You can get a ticket from the door staff to save waking back down the stairs. A very entertaining way to spend your lunchtime. There is a fair amount of swearing but no more than you could hear walking down the Royal Mile.
Visit the Fringe website for bookings details.