Presented by Arden Fitzroy
Review by Eve Nugent
Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street
With the Pope recently dead and the conclave looming, the doors of the Vatican are locked and the discussions begin. Embodied by Arden Fitzroy, Cvntvs is responsible for overseeing the conclave and judging why each potential contender is unsuitable. Eventually, they arrives at the convenient conclusion that they themselves might be the best choice, even though they too has their own shortcomings.
There is a lot to like in the premise of CVNTCLAVE, performed in the Lime Studio at Greenside. The opening is strong, clearly setting up the trajectory of the plot, with some good puns and funny melodrama. Fitzroy also demonstrates an impressive command of the script, delivering the complex narration confidently and without missing a beat. Following Ralph Fiennes’ severity in the 2024 film, the promise of a queer, sassy and subversive take on the conclave is an exciting one.
Unfortunately, however, the show becomes less effective as it goes on – the story grows increasingly thin, dragging the pace as the wheels begin to come off the initially interesting idea. As a result, the central concept struggles to sustain itself over the full running time. The weak execution is thus disappointing given the apt and promising foundation – an injection of campness, energy and theatricality could perhaps bring it to life.
Whilst Fitzroy is clearly a skilled performer, the delivery also needed more energy to carry both the complex narration and the show through to the end. It was made even harder to follow by the blasting fans at the entrance, which frequently drowned out what they were saying. There is a great show somewhere in this idea, but at present, Cvntclave does not quite deliver on its promise.
A Skilled Performance
CVNTCLAVE runs Venue 236, Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street at 20:45
Running time – Sixty minutes
Review by Eve Nugent (contact@corrblimey.uk)
An undergraduate French student at the University of Edinburgh, Eve has a diverse interest in theatre and performance. Her primary devotion is acting, predominantly at Bedlam Theatre with her fellow students, but also with French group ‘Les Escogriffes’ who perform annually at the French Institute of Scotland.
Her creative attention stretches also to classical music, as she enjoys playing the flute, piano and guitar. She thus looks forward to watching whatever the Fringe has to offer, irrespective of genre!
