The Lieutenat of Inishmore
Every now and then at ScareTOUR we like to think outside the box and visit events that wouldn't usually come under the banner of "scare attractions." So, when one of the actors from Ghosts of Christmas (a show we designed in 2010) revealed that he had been cast in a satirical comedy thriller opening at the Edinburgh Fringe, we thought we'd check it out while in the area. Little did we know what we were letting ourselves in for!
On entering the performance space we were greeted with a dead body, just 20 seats around the edge of a room covered in plastic, and a bin bag and poncho on each seat. We were quickly advised to don the plastic garments for protection, and within minutes of sitting down, the play burst into dramatic life which startled many of our group and left us nervous as to what was going to happen next.
The opening scene was visceral, horrific and quite unnerving. Covered from head to toe in plastic we were expecting some sort of blood splatter, but apart from the beer stolen from this reviewer by one of the main actors, there was not much liquid spilt. Maybe this show wasn't as messy as we had been led to believe. How wrong we were.....
Set during the Irish troubles of the 80's, the show follows a slightly deranged INLA member, who, due to his passion for blood and violence, has managed to distance himself from the remaining members of his splinter group. Throughout the running time, tables are tuned, guns are pulled and extreme gory violence abounds. Alongside the violence is a masochistic sense of humour that leaves jokes piling up as quickly as the body parts! If you are not laughing at the absurd situation, then you are cringing or recoiling from the ever flowing blood!
So yes - that's where the plastic sheeting all comes in. In such a tiny room the actors are never more than a few feet away from the audience and the blood flies as shots ring out, body parts are chopped off, and (in a set piece that was aimed directly at this reviewer) a cat's head is ripped off!. Each time, the actors gleefully spray the audience with fake blood and gore. It's gross, it's hilarious and it lives up to the name of In Your Face Theatre!
Being this close to the actors gives the audience time to really study the expressions and emotions each one is going through and every member of the cast is totally believable from Padraic's drunken father through to Malread (the only woman in the all male cast). As the lead, Mark Barrett's portrayal of Padraic is as scary as it is mesmerising. In such a tiny performance space as this - it was actually quite uncomfortable to be so close to such an unhinged character, especially when the laws of theatre and the fourth wall were broken so early on!
Before long the death count is high, the audience is splattered and there's just one final set piece to finish the show. In one bravura but hysterical moment, the futileness of the death and fighting we have just experienced is highlighted as the lights drop and the cast return for their well deserved applause.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore (and more specifically this production) is like some thing we have never seen before. Thrilling, captivating, exciting and more importantly very funny. It's a shame that only a small audience can see it each time, but saying that - the intimacy of being SO close to such a talented cast, in such a clever production is such a thrill that it clearly makes it worth struggling to get a ticket.
The show runs at the Edinburgh Fringe until August 24th.
On entering the performance space we were greeted with a dead body, just 20 seats around the edge of a room covered in plastic, and a bin bag and poncho on each seat. We were quickly advised to don the plastic garments for protection, and within minutes of sitting down, the play burst into dramatic life which startled many of our group and left us nervous as to what was going to happen next.
The opening scene was visceral, horrific and quite unnerving. Covered from head to toe in plastic we were expecting some sort of blood splatter, but apart from the beer stolen from this reviewer by one of the main actors, there was not much liquid spilt. Maybe this show wasn't as messy as we had been led to believe. How wrong we were.....
Set during the Irish troubles of the 80's, the show follows a slightly deranged INLA member, who, due to his passion for blood and violence, has managed to distance himself from the remaining members of his splinter group. Throughout the running time, tables are tuned, guns are pulled and extreme gory violence abounds. Alongside the violence is a masochistic sense of humour that leaves jokes piling up as quickly as the body parts! If you are not laughing at the absurd situation, then you are cringing or recoiling from the ever flowing blood!
So yes - that's where the plastic sheeting all comes in. In such a tiny room the actors are never more than a few feet away from the audience and the blood flies as shots ring out, body parts are chopped off, and (in a set piece that was aimed directly at this reviewer) a cat's head is ripped off!. Each time, the actors gleefully spray the audience with fake blood and gore. It's gross, it's hilarious and it lives up to the name of In Your Face Theatre!
Being this close to the actors gives the audience time to really study the expressions and emotions each one is going through and every member of the cast is totally believable from Padraic's drunken father through to Malread (the only woman in the all male cast). As the lead, Mark Barrett's portrayal of Padraic is as scary as it is mesmerising. In such a tiny performance space as this - it was actually quite uncomfortable to be so close to such an unhinged character, especially when the laws of theatre and the fourth wall were broken so early on!
Before long the death count is high, the audience is splattered and there's just one final set piece to finish the show. In one bravura but hysterical moment, the futileness of the death and fighting we have just experienced is highlighted as the lights drop and the cast return for their well deserved applause.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore (and more specifically this production) is like some thing we have never seen before. Thrilling, captivating, exciting and more importantly very funny. It's a shame that only a small audience can see it each time, but saying that - the intimacy of being SO close to such a talented cast, in such a clever production is such a thrill that it clearly makes it worth struggling to get a ticket.
The show runs at the Edinburgh Fringe until August 24th.
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