Edinburgh Fringe 2023 – Reviews #6
by Brian Merriman

Brian’s final round-up of the best productions he has visited in Edinburgh.

Voices of Evil
Pleasance Courtyard Cellar – Time: 10.30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Written and performed by Lachlan Werner, Directed by Sara Segovia 

Lachlan Werner is a multi-talented man. His ‘Voices of Evil’ deep in a cellar of an old building, promises to scare and terrify its unsuspecting audience. Instead, he and ‘Brew’, his brilliant Witch co-star have an audience of all ages rolling in the aisles.

This talented young ventriloquist is also a high-speed comic and the banter between himself as an altar boy and his boss ‘Brew’ is rapid-fire and hilarious. The hour-long flits by with demons, dolls, and books of spells. The soundtrack is thumping and the laughter is at full blast.

The audience is called upon frequently, involving everyone from the start and they love it! The script is clever and the scenario is so entertaining. This talented young man makes his ancient art of ventriloquism relevant, contemporary and very, very funny. If you need a great laugh at the end of a long day…this is it!

Weathervanes

Summerhall, Lower Cafe Gallery,
Times: 19.30 and 21.00  – Duration: 30 minutes. 

Produced by Journey to the East Productions Creator: Jian Yi. 

This beautifully designed piece (Furmaan Ahmed, Cryptic and Heather Lander) is a site-specific production designed to lull the sense and illuminate.

Three individual naked human statues on podiums are bathed in light. They move, caress, and gyrate to the aural feast of Tibetan bowls and vocal chants, running water, beams, wind and human presence.

The audience can move around between the adjoining rooms or just take in the whitened surroundings from one pillowed location.

The props and design are in harmony with the sounds and the human bodies. It is a tranquil space. Stimulation of the senses and the absence of inhibition and external influences have a calming effect, as soothing as the ethereal concept.

‘Weathervanes” is a diverse visual space and a time out for you. It has beauty.

52 Monologues for Young Transexuals

Pleasance courtyard – Time 3.20pm – Duration: 60 minutes 
Produced by NMTS (nothing more to say) Theatre Company 
Written, performed and directed by Laurie Ward and Charli Cowgill

After over 40 LGBT+ themed shows, many impressive ones, ‘52 Monologues for Young Transsexuals’ blew me away. ‘Charli’ and ‘Laurie’ pack so much truth, fun, abuse, power, energy and passion into this high-energy hour that it left me quite emotional.

These two young articulate actors interviewed many of their trans peers to formulate a story, full of testimony, into a most intelligent script that entertains, informs, uplifts, shocks and deeply impresses. There was nothing that wasn’t said.

Laurie and Charli rip the covers off their journey to their new identities with an intimacy and honesty rarely revealed in theatre. They bring us through being objectified, the questions, comments, offence, abuse, joy and triumph as they become the very strong people they are today.

There is a high-energy soundtrack, along with athletic dance routines. No punches are pulled as they lay out the real stories and people that discover, struggle and prevail in the battle with body, identity, womanhood, religion and hope.

‘I really want kids’ is one of the many revealing themes. As actors, writers, performers and young adults, they’ve grown up to be the artists any parent could be proud of.

52 Monologues (with thanks to those who testified) was an emotional roller coaster of truth and theatre – exactly what you hope to discover in a real Fringe. It is still with me.