You can find latest reviews of Oxfringe 2009 shows at the Daily Information Oxfringe page and at Fringe Report. Some highlights of latest coverage there and elsewhere:
- Oxfringe 2009 overview: “[Oxfringe] came across as very well-organised, and impressive in the effect it had on the city” (Fringe Report, full report here)
- Last Belch for the Great Auk (OFS Studio, 1-2 April): “The tangents of the ‘Great Auk’ and the life of a fashion model add to the comedy of Halliwell’s script, and allow room for the actors to enjoy the potential of this endearing and amusing piece… MakeSpace provided a very convincing and amusing start to the evening” (Daily Info)
- Dancing to the Sound of Crunching Snails (OFS Studio, 1-4 April): “The second piece is something of a comic highlight of the evening. Joe Graham’s Dancing to the Sound of Crunching Snails draws some real out-loud laughter from the audience, and utterly deservedly. The cast are impressively comfortable in their onstage interaction, making this a very involving piece.” (Daily Info) and “The script is very well written as it recreates the interactions of a family with gentle observational humour, in a way that reminded me of an episode of TV’s Gavin and Stacey.” (Oxford Times, full review here)
- La Vie Ennuie (OFS Studio, 1-4 April): “The effervescent energy of the two stars is warm and charming, and their voices, particularly the silky tones of Fatiguée, are a highlight. Forgive the occasional dodgy French accent or contrived dialogue, and the endearing Dominique and elegant Fatiguée provide a sparkling show. The solo songs of the two stars are wonderful, with both showing off luxuriant voices and a striking power of expression – each moment is full of character.” (Daily Info)
- The Crucible (Playhouse, 1-4 April): “This is a fantastic play and a great production – go see it.” (Daily Info)
- Recognising and Playing with Status (2 April): “Recognising & Playing with Status was a friendly, enjoyable and informative workshop. It gave insight into how to use status both in real-life interactions and theatrically… Instructions were clearly given in a personable and friendly way – with a good response.” (Fringe Report)
- O my luve’s like a red, red rose (7 April): “A successful and enjoyable recital all in all, and some welcome pastoral medicine to soothe away the strains of urban life. Stepping out onto Cornmarket Street amongst the caterwauling of teenagers wrapping their sugar-fevered faces around their burgers and each other, it was easy to sympathise with Burns’s sentiment “My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here” – and I’ve never even been there. I like to think they don’t have McDonald’s.” (Daily Info)
- Comedy Cubed: Suttie, Antopolski & Foot (4 April): Isy Suttie – “superb… a warm and confident comedian, a talented musician, and most importantly, funny”. Dan Antopolski – “Much of his material was great”. Paul Foot – “His early material was inventive for the sake of it, but as he relaxed, improvised, interacted and smiled more his set grew funnier. By the end, he had carved up the room quite uniquely – he had killed half of it, stormed some of it and rubbed his groin on the remainder.” (Daily Info)
- The Art of Catastrophe (3-4 April): “The Art of Catastrophe was a solid and enjoyable one act, one woman play, presenting a familiar narrative in a funny, powerful and highly compelling way.” (Daily Info)
- John Cage’s Disco Classics (8-11 April): “Indeed, as described, a selection of 60s performance art pieces delivered with deadpan panache to 70s disco classics by Albert Pantygirdle. It was hard to know what to expect from this, but perhaps we should have just taken the flyer at face value, as what we got was performance art crossed with 70s disco, with nothing more and nothing less… Will these things make you laugh? If the answer is yes, as in my case, then perhaps this inspired and highly original show is the one for you. If you take your performance art too seriously, then maybe best stay at home and iron some fruit.” (Daily Info)
- Frida Kahlo (8-11 April): “I don’t think there is anything I can add to the plaudits that Gael Le Cornec’s performance in Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida has already received… It is a spellbinding performance that seems to be over all too soon… One word of warning, the performance includes a certain amount of audience participation – so if that is not your thing, avoid sitting on the first couple of rows.” (Daily Info)
- How to Die in a Domestic Environment (1-4 April): “It’s difficult to single out a performance – all are outstanding. But Annabelle Brown shines as neurotic Mildred. A sometimes superb, sometimes frustrating aspect of the production is that all the actors are on stage all the way through. This makes it hard to pick where to look. Equally it could make it easy to have a different experience of the play perhaps on different nights by choosing to watch different characters at different times. Nancy Walsh’s directing and script are superb. Verdict: Inventive, voyeuristic, unsettling, funny, outstanding” (Fringe Report)
- Oxfringe drama (various): “I spent this week darting around town on my bicycle to get some of the theatrical fare on offer at Oxfringe and it was well worth the effort…” (Oxford Times, full review here)
- The Crucible: “A heart-wrenchingly powerful performance of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is being given this week by the Oxford Theatre Guild…” (Oxford Times, full review here)
- The Telephone/The Medium: “Opera Anywhere has already established an enviable reputation for small-scale opera; with this double bill, they have set themselves a new benchmark in excellence.” (Oxford Times, full review here)
