Created by Dylan and Will Theatre
Review by Eve Nugent
theSpace @ Niddry St – Upper Theatre
Once a thriving comic duo, Sid and Larry are now solo artists, each performing their own show at the 1980 Edinburgh Fringe. Despite entering the entertainment industry together, the former best friends haven’t spoken in 5 years.
Sid opens The Joker and the Thief with some gags from his humble set, down-to-earth yet ambitious, passionate yet visibly deflated by a struggling career – he is determined to forge his own creative path and shuns the influence of larger corporations. By contrast, Larry is primped, polished and riding high on success. Having sold out the Usher Hall at the International Festival to 200 loyal fans, he is saturated with achievement and pride, skipping cluelessly to the sound of Howard’s greedy flute, his avaricious manager.
Larry’s big gig is due to start in 50 minutes, giving the estranged pair time to meet in his glitzy dressing room before he goes on stage. As their conversation deepens, buried resentments return, and a candid exchange gradually reveals the origins of their friendship, their eventual breakup, and the secrets and lies that have kept them apart.
The trio’s distinct personalities complement each other brilliantly, generating much of the play’s energy as they make effective use of the three-sided thrust stage to engage the audience from every angle. Will Grice brings a gentle warmth and grounded righteousness to Sid, a compelling contrast to Dylan Kaeuper’s Larry, whose smarmy self-importance is tempered by a recognisable humanity and fallibility. Rufus Goodman shines in this managerial role, combining something of Danny DeVito’s Mr Wormwood and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort: jumpy, bullish and seemingly incapable of delivering a line without a comic flourish. A waggish stage fight further demonstrates the cast’s comic timing and physical chemistry.
Despite a somewhat unclear artistic objective, Dylan and Will Theatre’s brand-new script is buoyed by the talent of the actors and the strength of their onstage connection.
Uniquely Charming
The Joker and The Thief runs Venue 9, theSpace @ Niddry St – Upper Theatre at 20:15
Running time – Fifty 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!
