The Scotsman

Dancers skip the routine

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Michael Stranney’s lightly touched character Daniel Duffy exists in a similar charmed universe to that of Father Ted, just shy of paddywhack­ery thanks to his creator’s delightful­ly rich devotion to detail. Presenting an introducti­on to his home town for tourists, Duffy is a naïve, innocent soul who imagines the rural, Northern Irish backwater the equal of anywhere for diversion and excitement, its slow, oldfashion­ed way of life never impinging upon his civic pride and devotion to his ambassador­ial role.

Employing a temperamen­tal projector-cum-barbecue supplied by a copyrighti­nfringing local businessma­n and a succession of slides and video footage, Duffy introduces his peculiar neighbours and the town’s quirky history. His unwitting testimony to its crushing dullness, borne from Stranney’s straight-faced delivery and superb timing, ensures that you fully invest in him finishing his talk. Just to be sure however, there’s a romantic subplot about the object of his affections leaving on a flight to Ouagadougo­u before he can invite her to a dance competitio­n, a familiar trope but nicely executed all the same.

Over an hour, the whimsy can occasional­ly feel too relaxed and cosy. But an eminently quotable line or demented visual image are never too far away. JAY RICHARDSON

0 Chicos Mambo targets various genres with its send-ups, which are carried out with great technical skill Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) JJJJ Less than a minute in, the laughter begins. Standing on stage are six male dancers, the lower half of their bodies covered in pink padded netting; bottoms twitching at us like flowers quivering in the wind.

It’s a routine that says to the audience right from the start storytelli­ng into a show (and live streaming this), the players open a window into what turns out to be a surprising­ly appealing world – one that is full of camaraderi­e and friendship.

At first, you may feel as if you’ve gate-crashed someone else’s subculture, especially if you don’t know the game’s rules (which involve making character-driven decisions, the outcomes of which are dictated by dice). But the dynamics between the team members and their amusing alter-egos quickly become strangely absorbing.

The story is less coherent – a series of episodic confrontat­ions on an island with creatures including an “awakhilton – you’re here to have a good time.

And so it continues, as genre by genre the world of dance gets an affectiona­te tongue-in-cheek dig. Whether they’re delivering the famous Pas de Quatre from Swan Lake, dancing a Strictly Come Dancing pastiche or affectiona­tely mocking the seriousnes­s of contempora­ry dance, the performers of French company Chicos Mambo have comic timing down to a fine art.

But of course none of this would work unless they ening tree”. However, it will be fascinatin­g to see how the piece develops over the course of the festival, and to also directly take part as a player (which you can do by purchasing a special ticket via the Sweet Venues website). SALLY STOTT thespace on North Bridge (Venue 36) JJJ There can be few better places to put on a play about homelessne­ss than the luxury accommodat­ion of this also had the technical skill to carry it off – which they most certainly do. Five dancers teeter across the stage in pointe shoes, eliciting plenty of laughs as they bemoan the pain involved – but then the sixth man arrives, clearly at home in the shoes, and dances a beautiful solo worthy of any classical ballerina.

Because being funny isn’t the sole pursuit here – for every Dirty Dancing spoof or spangly gymnastics takeoff, there are moments of true beauty. An aerial routine which finds one dancer Hotel, part of which has been transforme­d into a Fringe venue. Who knows whether this irony is deliberate or not, but it’s great to see this piece of communityb­ased theatre taking place here.

The majority of the cast have suffered homelessne­ss and the show is based on their experience­s. They are not profession­al actors, but they bring truth, humanity and humour to a desperate situation that all of us are, apparently, only three steps away from experienci­ng.

We follow the story of Danny (Scott Elder), who’s ended up on the street and is battling the Orwellian bureaucrac­y of the benefits system, wrapped in silk cloth, spinning until he’s almost a blur as his single pointe shoe twirls on the ground, is utterly mesmerisin­g. And, happily, such moments are clearly just as appreciate­d by the audience as the guffawindu­cing comedy.

The person responsibl­e for all this is choreograp­her, Philippe Lafeuille – a man whose love for dance, and quest to make it as accessible as possible, shines through in every step. KELLY APTER which is aptly represente­d by a scowling puppet (performed by Lee Holland). Musical numbers, accompanie­d by “wandering minstrel” Gary Walker, create an imaginativ­e otherworld­ly feel not normally associated with this kind of work.

After many of the scenes the audience applauded, as if we’re in a self-help group rather than a theatre performanc­e.

But the company has no need for condescend­ing smiles: by the time Danny concludes that it’s hard to “follow your dreams” when you have nothing, you certainly understand why. SALLY STOTT There’s an authentic crackle of laddish energy to this new play that mixes bursts of physical theatre and music in an attempt to raise awareness of suicide among young men.

Five student flatmates taunt and make fun of each other, partially out of affection but also in a bid to establish the dominant personalit­y. Gavin, who fancies himself a ladies man and DJ, wants to be the alpha male but his sudden pivots from friendship to casual cruelty sometimes feel forced – as if scripted merely to cause unfortunat­e drama, which proves to be the case.

There’s lots to like here. All the cast are good and each is given his moment in the spotlight by Piers-cottee Jones’ script, which is flecked with real humour and understand­ing. The five characters are finely sketched. Each hides his own problem but rather than willingly discuss it with friends, they hide it with spite disguised as banter.

It’s undoubtedl­y a sincere attempt by 203 Theatre – which is collecting funds for mental health charities CALM and MIND – to get people talking but it doesn’t always add up to the sum of its frequently impressive elements. RORY FORD Upper Church @ Summerhall hosted by RBC (Venue 26) JJ To believe in heroes, do we need to dehumanise our enemies? It’s a pertinent question that Rokkur Friggjar – a young company based in Iceland and the UK – asks through a story about teenagers growing up and enlisting to fight an unspecifie­d war.

The glowing cast are admirably committed to their roles, but their heightened, uneven delivery can sometimes feel over-wrought. The simple but, at times, didactic script is full of rich themes that draw parallels with real-life conflicts, past and present. Stripping back the melodrama would allow more time to develop these into a deeper and more thought provoking piece. SALLY STOTT

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