I will admit I was not to sure about Henry, he had a lot of hype, but in the dimly lit room in the GRV I was convinced that the guy had it in him to make laugh. One thing I never do is admit it when I am wrong, last night I was wrong and them some. Henry Packer has a way about him that makes his humour slightly quirky but then produces gems that would make even the biggest comedian green with envy.

I would say the tone of his stand up was pretty level and his interaction with the audience was exception. But when he started talking about books and reading and how is now un-reading the books he starts he had me. This wasn’t just funny it was bang on one of the best comedy routines I have seen, this was hysterical, the way he discribes un-reading the bible is skilled comedy writing at it’s very best.

Henry packs (pun not intended) a lot into his show and once the ball was rolling his material and speed picked up. The change, and the final part of his show ‘John your a maverick’ was great, and you got the feeling that he was only starting to get his feet wet when the show came to an end. Something of an unexpected turn was the woman who walked in to the room reading not realising there was as how on. She did a double take then ran out which was hilarious!

‘This was a top notch show that had a little bit of a rocky start but built up to being one of the most original stand up shows I have seen. Hugely likeable guy with great material that will impress, stun, and stick with you’.

The nature of life and death is at the heart of W;t, the Pulitzer award winning play as we are introduced to a professor of seventeenth-century poetry, Vivian Bearing, who  is dying of cancer and uses the poetry of John Donne, to comprehend her own mortality. She looks at her past and the events which shaped her while the doctors and nurses flounder around her.

First Person productions who manage to capture much of the cynical humour of the play from the very start, the Shakespeare quip was well delivered and set the tone for the play. The lead actress was more than convincing as the somewhat dry and cold Dr Bearing, yet performed it with such care she grabbed your attention as she realises her fate.

We understand very early on that Dr Bearing has no family and no friends (the scene in which the nurse ask’s her if she want’s her to stay because she has no one coming to see her was a stunning scene with both actresses giving beautifully understanding performances). Her distance with people is never really explained, a scene with her farther (and his early death) had perhaps had a very important impact on her life. The irony now being that as Dr. Bearing realises her fate her fear becomes ever more present and the need for someone to tell her everything is going to be ok, or for them to understand what she is going through, is something she needs.

The production has been careful to illustrate the treatment of Dr Bearing by the doctors. During their scenes they remain aloof, distant, and her main doctor is more concerned with the cancer itself than the patient. A flash back to her teaching days show a very simular disposition by the doctor, to some extent these flash backs suggest a regret and may be she should have been more understandable?

W;t is one of those fringe rarities that doesn’t just blow you away and remains with you. The performance of the main character is such a remarkable achievement words really can not do her justice. Handled with care and respect she embodied this 50 year old academic with a striking realism. The relationship with the nurse was one of the most touching relationships that gave Dr Bearing the connection she really needed, in her final hours she found someone.

Holy Sonnet X

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

From: Helen Gardner (ed.), The Metaphysical Poets. Harmondsworth, Penguin Books 1966)

‘Stunningly honest and beautifully acted, this play is a unique fringe gem!’

C aquila (main theatre) 15-30 Aug at 16:50 (1hr10)
Tickets £8.50-£10.50 / concessions £7.50-£9.50
Recommended age 12+ To book tickets call 0845 260 1234.

There is something I wil confess and few people know and that is I have a little bit of an obsession with space and the moon, in fact I read two books on the subject, so when I got an email about the possibility of coming to review Helen Keen’s show I jumped at it. This is the last leg of the Fringe yet the passion and drive us still there and Helen’s show was a delight, funny and intelligent ‘It Is Rocket Science’ is a marvel to watch.

One of the shows highlights was the shadow puppets that Miriam helped out with which was original and so funny I don’t think I have seen anything quiet like it, it was so touching and gentle the huge Monday crowd loved every minute of it. There was a near sellout crowd and at 1h 15 on a Monday morning is no easy feat, and the audience got quickly into the spirit of it. Topics ranged from her childhood, family, and garage flat back in Yorkshire, to the history of rocket development and the men (and one woman) behind it.

Helen’s material is smart, well written, researched, and delivered with real skill, her energy was imposible to keep up with for a Monday on the last week of the Fringe, yet she still gave it her all. The shows main success comes from the fact that Helen really does have a genuine passion for rockets and space that comes through so well. Helen is careful to also talk about the darker aspect of rocket development and the scramble by the US and UK for the Nazi rocket scientists. This is a bloody and sad part of the West history and operation paperclip is a stain that will remain with us for a long time.

‘This show was of such a high standard I would be hard pushed to find a show I have been as fully engaged with and liked as much as this one. You come to the fringe to get entertained and there are hundreds and thousands of shows out there to pick from, what Helen Keen does is become your space obsessed, stamp collecting best friend, she’s honest, smart and funny. A 1st class performance.’

This is a quick post about the second Doctor Faustus that we have seen at the Fringe 2010. Very different to the Cambridge ADC production at C Venues which was a good thing. This production has a high energy, music, lighting and a cast who put in one amazing show.

It was interesting to see this production and both complement each other in that they both have managed to interpret Marlowe’s classic in two very distinct ways. For this production of Doctor Faustus the scene is more circus than study and Mephistopheles is played by a woman who also acts like a ring master during the whole show.

There is an incredible sense of energy and fun throughout the whole play. The use of good vs evil is represented on stage by two clowns who both try to stir Faustus in their direction. What I found was interesting was that the good angel seemed to have admitted defeat already long before Faustus makes up his mind. And much like the ADC production the 7 deadly sins are used to maximum affect. Faustus’s decent into this world is masterfully achieved.

The production use of live music (most of it being played by the Devil) adds to the production, at time it is quiet warm and gentle and at others pretty frantic and scary. As we enter the end of the play Faustus decent into hell is handled with skill and vision. This was a wonderfully acted production that gave a classic a new twist, though remaining quite traditional the addiction of music, the costumes, and setting made it stand out.

At the end the audience was on their feet and the applause was deafening, these guys achieved a great deal and put on a major success.

‘To not see Doctor Faustus at the Fringe is like going to Vagas and not seeing Elvis. To be able to see two productions of such high quality is rare. Offshoots production (with Lancaster University Theatre Group) is a triumph, from acting to setting the idea is fresh and original and their show was a stunning example of what a student production can be!’

Pending Re-edit!