Lies and Other Stories Before Bed

"Oh, Fringe, lay thee Drama on with a trowel."

I love the Fringe Festival. As I have said before, what you get on the night is a mixed bag. Tonight's show, Lies and Other Stories Before Bed, featured a talented cast of six (plus one), a complex script, as well as a few head-scratching moments. The four-piece band provided great background atmosphere; it's great to hear live music and theatre come together so well.

So, what was the play about? Good question. Here's the bio from the website:

Long ago, in a land far away, Brian and Alice had once been happy. But for many months they had not made love. When Alice became enchanted by a American seductress, Brian started talking to the children he kept locked up in his head...
An uproarious, risky and rousing threesome of theatre, film and animation.

This is a clever show, mixing live theatre with small film snippets illustrating scenes which happen away from the main sets. I couldn't quite work out whether the children Brian hallucinated were supposed to be his, either in the future or kids who never came to be. (I don't think they were, but ... ) They had an intense love-hate big brother-little sister relationship and appeared at all the worst moments, which certainly didn't help Brian and Alice's ailing marriage. (Of course, she couldn't see them.) Or Brian's job, for that matter.

At 1 hour 45 mins, the play went on a bit and a few scenes could have been trimmed here and there. The American seductress who tempted dear Alice away from poor old Brian was drama laid on with a trowel, as were some of the scenes involving the kids. The ending was nothing short of bizarre, but I suppose that's what Fringe drama is all about. An enjoyable show, with just the right degree of unconvention. (Is that a word?)