Slick lives up to its name in the perhaps
somewhat restricted space of Traverse 2; essentially a pantomime for adults, the
performance seen bowled along in fine style, taking no prisoners and occasionally
shocking audience members.
Wee Malcolm Biggar (Jordan Young) lives in grim
circumstances with his failed stockbroker father (Robert Jack) and delusional
mother (Angela Darcy), both of whom bully and abuse Malcolm's essential good
nature to the max. When he discovers oil erupting from the WC, what follows is
not only licence for a stream of scatological humour but also increased misery
for wee Malky.
For the Biggar family, home is due for re-possession by landlord
Jerko Driech (Mark Predergasst). It's Malcolm who is sent to sell the
mysteriously appearing black stuff, to keep Jerko at bay and deal with the
unpleasantness his parents won't touch with a ten foot, whilst struggling to
preserve both his sanity and ultimately his life.
Slick makes for a
roller-coaster ninety minutes, the characters presented as puppets brought to
life by actors, in a highly polished version of techniques usually associated
with children's theatre. There's a nice wee bit of irony here, as adults get to
enjoy theatrical styles usually only available when accompanied by a juvenile.
It's
very obvious everyone involved in Slick has had a lot of fun putting this
show together, which communicates to the audience, and we roll along with the
comic-book storyline through risque, or even questionable moments to its
violent end. Such is the sense of enjoyment that even these slip beneath the
audience's radar, the smooth transitions between scenes and character focus
being ably managed by those on stage.
Slick is a production where the
technical team are every bit as important as the cast, and Fiona Fraser, Simon
Wilkinson, Graham Sutherland, Anna Scatola, Guy Bishop and their colleagues have
clearly worked hard to create the effects and ambiance which are an essential
part of this show.
Times: Aug 13-23, times vary (see Fringe Programme)
Copyright Bill Dunlop August 2008
Published on EdinburghGuide.com August 2008