Written by sixth form student Sam Dury and directed and produced by this young cast, the team bring a lot of energy to this piece. A courtroom drama, it explores the challenges of lawyers and their clients, and what justice means to each. The themes are complex, and this does lead to a little confusion about what is really going on at the heart of the play. What may be adding to confusion is that there is a lot of stage business and set changing, but, despite the number of scene changes, this is handled relatively fluidly. The client is clearly guilty and yet pleads not guilty but then there are different reasons for this revealed along the way.
There is a great deal of talent on display on stage. While not all the performers are successful in key areas such as volume of voice, meaning that some text is lost due to voice over and sound elements, or the depth of belief in their characters’ journeys, overall, the cast bring life to the show.
One of the elements that could be worked on to strengthen this show is to address the problem of the show having been directed for a front-facing audience. In this venue there are audience seats around 3 sides of the stage, and this meant that there were sightline clashes and some of the onstage action was lost. Live theatre is just as much about what is seen, as well as what is heard. Despite this, there is great potential here, and is exactly what the Fringe can showcase. Hopefully the cast will return to the Fringe again as they develop and grow their skills.
Show Time: 12-16 Aug @ 19:25
theSpace @ Niddry St
Ticket Prices: £7 (£6)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/blindsided
Accessible entry: Access to box office via ground level entrance; then up one floor in a standard passenger lift. Wheelchair access type: Building Lift. Stairs: Information not supplied. Wheelchair Accessible Toilets. Age: 12+ (Guideline); Strong language/swearing. Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket. Policy applies to: Children under 18 months.