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Edinburgh Fringe 2009

The Honeymoon

RashDash Productions

Venue: Bedlam Theatre

Festival:


Low Down

A honeymoon without the wedding. When two young women decide that they won’t say ‘I do’, they set in motion a chain of events in which they discover love and friendship, and come to terms with the fact that these were two qualities that hadn’t previously been mentioned in connection with their marriage. 

Review

 When one woman tells her friend ‘you look nice’, there’s a reaction of such delighted , confused glee that you’re immediately saddened: it’s quite clear she hasn’t received such a compliment from her own partner. Ever.

Not that these two women are necessarily ideally matched – they neither particularly like or even know each other at the start, but by the close of events, they love and care about each other deeply; and their performances urge us to do the same.
 
It cannot simply be called a dance piece, which is something of a relief for this reviewer, who often feels alienated by dance, as if he simply doesn’t ‘get’ it: this is very much an inclusive piece, joyous and passionate, wiring together movement, song, drama and comedy in a witty, elegant and visceral evening that sleeps in your memory for days afterward.
 
Not all the narrative is successful: an action toward the end, while creating a beautiful image, seems to owe a great deal more to college type theatre than the evident talent and creative originality that is on display for the rest of the evening: while us cynical types would normally applaud an opposition to a Hollywood ending, it would seem that a more positive event would validate the rest of the story, and indeed the themes of the evening.
 
This, however, is the only concern. This is a very strong piece, mixing dance, song and drama in a seamless fashion with such remarkable performers you begin to wonder why you haven’t heard of them already. We propose strongly you seek them out.

Published