Edinburgh Fringe 2024
The Birds
Ease Drama Teenager Theatre Company
Genre: Youth Theatre
Venue: Space@Triplex
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
This is a faithful adaptation with a nice cultural twist. It is emblematic rather than naturalistic but enchants whilst it drives the story forward. The use of recognisable music helps keep us entertained whilst making additional comment upon the action and thus enhances the production.
Review
Aristophanes can rest easy; this is a faithful adaptation of his classic text where con men try and sell The Birds eggs. This Chinese group manage to mingle some of their own performance culture into a classic western text and it is no less effective for it: in essence it adds to the drama. Their enthusiasm and charm oozes from their first entrance to the finale, which drives the narrative and gives us both the essence of the storyline and a glimpse of the actors before us. In style it reminded me very much of Chinese Opera and the melodrama contained therein.
As for the story, two conmen in a park fight over customers with wildly bigger claims over their humble potatoes until they are arrested and fined by the police. Faced with a huge fine they must make money to pay it and along with one of their customers – who cannot tell a lie – they come up with a fanciful scheme find the Kingdom of the Birds and sell them eggs. Their odyssey begins with scene after scene detailing their journey. We encounter a number of scenarios with birds like layers until they find the three monarchs and between the conmen and these regal birds, come up with a solution to each of their problems in a neat end.
Each of the young actors fill each character with such wide-eyed enthusiasm and naivete it is difficult not to feel utterly caught up by it all. I was particularly struck by the young boy in the first section playing an old man. It is not just the stoop but the gestures and the facial expressions which elevated it from the “I have noticed how they behave” to the slightly more nuanced “I shall show you how to perceive this older generation.” And, although it tended to the caricature, it did add to the whole experience of having such a brilliantly imagined tale driven by his and their presence.
Where there needs to be some thought is the set and scene changes. They were clumsy and clunky with blackouts used to barely hide the problems of swiftly and with skill managing to smoothly take us from one scene to another. At one point one of the cast fell trying to rush the change. The audience can take scene changes being more gentile and less rushed, and the set being less clunky – the science scene with the chairs and the cloth was over-elaborate which could be better served by the set up being onstage throughout – meaning there is no need for any changes or cutting down the need to have the chairs at all. It would also be worthwhile making sure the cast know that silence is golden backstage when changing. To be fair to the young cast, the costumes are excellent, and they make much of this work, but the elaborate costume changes in a confined space looks a nightmare to get on and off efficiently.
The costumes are elaborate and very good, set can be clunky but is functional, the use of music we recognise is a neat addition which does enhance things with a soundscape that works. Props are also nice to see.
Overall, this was a really pleasant introduction to an enthusiastic and lovely group of teenagers here to make their mark which they do well. They have other offerings during the Fringe which should also be on the radar.
