Prague Picks - Day 4 -6
How people do a month long festival, I don’t know - we’re at the end of Day 6 of Prague Fringe Festival, and I am exhausted but absolutely delighted to be racing around Prague, seeing theatre, comedy and cabaret, and helping to promote a wide variety of shows.
It’s been a slightly quieter few days, we’ve had a massive turn over of shows and a whole lot of brand new shows come in, with plenty more to cram in for my final few days!
Here are my picks, what I’ve seen, and what I do and don’t recommend!
Let Adam Gordon’s sultry voice, like smooth caramel, transport you back to la belle epoche in Paris in the 1900s, where all that we have is rebellion, poverty, passion and creativity. The show is a love letter to a city, its people and its music, and his mastery of Edith Piaf is out of this world. A gorgeous, soothing, warm cabaret performance in the intimate Studio Rubin space, this is not to be missed by lovers of all things France. Plus, this is the first ever run of this show, so come be a part of the magic!
★★★★
It’s too late, you’ve missed Undercover Theatre Company and their absolutely hysterical silly comedy about bees. It’s the Matrix, but with Honeybees - question everything you know by experiencing the world through the eyes of David the Drone, who’s on a mission to save the world from the winged giants. It’s silly, it’s fun, it will have you roaring with laughter - somehow, on their final show, just about everything broke or didn’t quite work the way they had planned, and it made it even funnier. These two performers have such great chemistry and ability to continue on, no matter what, and you can feel that they’re having fun - it’s a show that radiates joy and laughter. If you missed them in Prague, this one of a kind comedy is heading to Denmark next!
★★★★
In a world where no one plays, no one questions and no one ever leaves, four women work in an office high above the city to anonymously return lost items. A quirky futuristic show, Haste Theatre transport us to a bleak but possible future in this dark comedy. Four incredibly slick and well rehearsed performers take puppetry, song and clowning into a sterile, Handmaid’s Tale style future where people serve their 50 year function and are then evaporated. The movement is seamless and energetic, the facial expressions are dynamite and despite the bleak outlook, the show is full of amusement and joy.
★★★★½
Kafka’s Ape
A solo performance about a primate's struggle to overcome the confines of captivity, the play explores the complexities of identity in post-apartheid South Africa and in the human race in general. This is a five star performance - Kafka’s Ape is not an easy show to watch - compared to many of the things I’ve seen at the Fringe, it’s serious, moving and emotional, and forces us to look at ourselves and the world we live in. Tony Miyambo has performing the show on and off for eight years and it shows in his craftmanship, and how he completely becomes this ape like character.
★★★★★
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How to Make Friends in Hollywood
Lindsey Ordell is selfish, charming and brutal, and also a washed up Hollywood star. The show follows her assistant as she wrestles how she will make it in Hollywood, who she will befriend and who she will screw over. This isn’t life changing theatre, however it is very well written and well performed, and Nyree Williams’ handling of all of the different personalities and accents is wonderful.
★★★
Prague Fringe runs until Saturday 1 June and has plenty more shows to see!
