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ED2012 3/5 Reviews ED2012 Theatre Reviews
The Trench (Les Enfants Terrible with Wales Millennium Centre & Luton Hat Factory)
By Lia Sanders | Published on Saturday 11 August 2012
Imagine a quest narrative set beneath the battle lines of WW1, with a script that wants to be Shakespeare and occasional bluesy guitar interludes; you have ‘The Trench’. Too many things are competing here. The witty physical theatre is some of the best I have seen: three chorus members surround the hero, Bert, playing with him, like he feels toyed with by his commanders. Yet Oliver Lansley, forgetting he’s done enough by writing, directing and starring in the show, suddenly becomes narrator for Bert’s actions in the 3rd person. It’s all those “twixt”s and “doth”s that really undermine the performance, though: rather than letting that physicality speak for itself, Lansley has been carried away by his bardic pretensions.
Pleasance Courtyard, 1-27 Aug (not 14), 1.10pm.
tw rating 3/5 | [Lia Sanders]
