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ED2013 3/5 Reviews ED2013 Theatre Reviews
Outside On The Street (Pleasance and Invertigo)
By Michael Black | Published on Thursday 15 August 2013
Sergeant Beckmann, an escaped prisoner of war, is told by a theatre director that “art has nothing to do with truth”. This play, written just days after his escape, aspires to be an illumination of that ‘truth’. This production is conceived as high art, a characteristic evident in the actors’ statuesque gestures and also the songs, commenting on the story in the manner of a Greek chorus. Visually this is impressive, though the decision to have a male play the female roles is perhaps clever for the sake of being clever. However it is overall not entirely convincing; the eerie set pieces and odd characters do as much to obscure as to clarify the effect of war on the individual.
Pleasance Dome, until Aug 26 (not 12, 20), 1.30pm.
tw rating 3/5 | [Michael Black]
