COVERING THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL SINCE 1996
Austentatious – An Improvised Jane Austen Novel (Austentatious and Underbelly Productions)

We’re told that there are over 900 hundred unpublished and little-known works by the 18th century novelist. Here, the Austentatious crew perform a fully improvised rendition of one of them, whose title is suggested by a member of the audience. We were treated to ‘The Notorious Transvestite from the Isle of Mull’, in which a lighthouse keeper’s long-lost brother returns to Mull accompanied by his new wife Consuela (who has a surprisingly deep voice). A tale of misunderstood love and enlightenment, this was a hilariously engrossing performance. The cast are fantastically sharp, reading one another remarkably well and, with virtually no props, their only limit was their imagination. It’s a wonderful hour of silliness that offers the ultimate in expecting the unexpected.
Underbelly George Square, until 31 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Daisy Malt]
