Edinburgh Fringe 2017
Me, Myself and I
Nu Nah Physical Theatre Company
Genre: Dance, Dance and Movement Theatre, Physical Theatre
Venue: Sweet Grassmarket
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Four dancers take us through various phases of a night out including the meeting, the arguments, the dodgy taking of dodgy things and the end which all starts with free bucks fizz.
Review
We begin with one performer onstage who is then able to entice the other three on with her, just like I remember trying to get people to come out with me on a night out though she is far more successful than I ever was. From here we get into a variety of situations, all of which are very familiar to those of us who have been on nights out that have gone slightly different from the original plans. With some ending in arguments, almost in tears and with interaction between all four in various guises this is a very entertaining 45 minutes in their company.
The narrative is, as you might hope, all over the place with relationships that work, those that don’t and the influence of whatever is in their pathway likely to entice each of them to give an opinion. It has a charm and a threat attached as you get drawn into how the psyche manages to achieve the ultimate pleasure whilst being competitive, in a relationship but also looking for acceptance.
There were highs like the races, Mr Clingy, cards on the table and where one splits from the crowd due to a form of neurosis, Kopparberg and Rio which looked and felt inspired whilst at times the repetitive nature of some of the sequences challenged your inner sober dancer. The interplay between each performer was never less than convincing and they perform with a great degree of faith and confidence in their work which is equally impressive.
The chorography was slick and though sometimes the sequences which appeared to need to be in synch were slightly out the overall impression was good. This had no set apart from the table, no props apart from cards and a Kopparberg each, the costumes were appropriate for a night out without being flashy and it was all as it ought to be. The performance, on the carpet in the hotel room made it appear effortless, but this kind of material never is.
The sickening thing must be that there were 7 in the audience at 11am and how can you get to that level of interplay for just that number? It may be in the Bucks Fizz, it may be in the rhumba but it certainly is in the Sweet Grassmarket until the end of their run.
