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Brighton Fringe 2007

The Devil Chess: a Burlesque

Foul Play Productions

Venue: Pressure Point

Festival:


Low Down

The Devil, Chess A Burlesque is a robust burlesque performed at Pressure Point on Grand Parade.

Review

The stairs from bar were flanked by diabolical, hoplite, chessmen in black and white horse masks. The audience were beaten and carolled into the auditorium and commanded to ‘move!’. Writhing harlots flaunted themselves in the stairwell. The writhing harlots looked ravishable and need little more explanation.

Pressure Point’s upstairs bar is like a sleazy whorehouse. The perfect venue for a show about sex sleaze and the Devil. The show began with a blast of Revel’s Bolero. The harlots reappeared to writhe in the corners of the bar. There was a screen projecting various related images. I like the fact that a separate show was going on at an oblique angle to the audience. Many people missed this but it contributed to the richness of the experience.

The Devil (Jack Stigner) appeared as a transsexual purveyor of sadomasochism in the Tim Curry style. What ever he said escaped me. There was a narrative but what it was about I’m not sure and either were the rest of the audience but that wasn’t so important. The Devil Chess is an experience of raucous spirit rather than exquisite prose.

The show must have gone on for about an hour and it was enthralling. Foul Play Productions hope to take to Edinburgh. It is one of those things that could be expanded in scale. I could see this working in a warehouse or a gig devoted to depravity like Torture Garden.

Published