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Edinburgh Fringe 2010

Cargo

Iron Oxide

Genre: Circus

Venue: Leith Links

Festival:


Low Down

The show takes place on Leith Links where the audience, after being handed a water-proof poncho, s ushered into a penned-in, open-air area. What follows is a fantastical tale about how people find their place in the world and of the human habit of migration. The story looks at those who leave to find something better, those who escape persecution or war, and those who are trying to find something, or someone, once lost.

 

Review

There are goodies and baddies; the protagonist is an excitable girl who is searching for a place where she belongs. She holds a precious paper moon and, by the end, has found a place where it fits. After being attacked by pirates, she joins forces with a lonely but warm-hearted fisherman and together they navigate the seas fighting pirates and jumping through hoops (literally) to gain entrance to a wealthy country. The audience are also in constant motion having to jump out of the way of performers and moving set pieces.

The props, set, staging, effects and music of this show are stunning and are a major part of what recommend it. The pirate ship is spectacular; it is pulled along by a massive, insect-like creature which moves endlessly forward trying to catch the bright fish which permanently dangles in front of its face. This sort of visual metaphor (false hope and bribery are the motion forces for immoral conduct) is rife throughout the performance and add to make it a thought-provoking as well as visually delectable performance. The music is occasionally pre-recorded but generally supplied by a fantastic two-man band up in the scaffolding playing a range of gypsy folk, Indian influenced, atmospheric music. The music, mime, and visual effects are instead of spoken words which mean this show is genuinely universal and all-inclusive.

This is an entertaining show and fantastic for families with slightly older children. It is visually spectacular but also contains an up-lifting and quite profound message: no matter how much we move to seek the new or escape the old, the only way of achieving this is through human kindness, teamwork and understanding.

 

Published

Show Website

www.iron-oxide.org