Fringe theatre is a very frivolous term because there are so many opinion-based factors that determine whether or not a theatre is fringe. This ranges from theatre size, to the size of the company that is producing it, and even to the quality and funding the show might have. Even with these examples, not all of them are applicable to every single fringe theatre. From what I have deduced, fringe is a very opinionated term and anything can be fringe if you make the argument. As long as the show is small enough and not being produced by a very wealthy and well know company (i.e. Broadway or West End), then it is fringe theatre.
While on this trip, I have had the pleasure of seeing a fair amount of fringe theatre. Not all of them were great, but I can say that it was less the production’s fault and more the script’s fault. In my opinion, Glory Ride, Jules & Jim, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Of these three, Glory Ride was the only one that brought me joy. The other two shows had a myriad of faults and I’d rather not write another hate post. Glory Ride is based on a true story of a famous Italian cyclist who saved the lives of many by getting passports in and out of the country during Musalini’s reign. Going into the show, I thought it was going to be a horrible impulse buy that would result in a two hour long history lesson, but I was very wrong. The show was beautiful, well-acted, and the singers had some of the best voices I’ve heard all month. I could tangent about what I thought of the show, but I don’t want to ruin the experience for anyone who sees it in the future. Instead I will talk about what made the space fringe. The Charing Cross theatre is unfortunately located directly underneath the Charing Cross Tube Station which means that throughout the show you get to hear the sounds of trains going in and out of the station. Although it happened a couple of times throughout the show, almost every single moment was perfect. For example, when the characters were sitting through a German bombing raid the trains from above added the perfect amount of spice to the atmosphere. Another strange part of the space was the stage itself. I was sitting in the front row, and the stage towered over me. When I stood up, the stage came up to my shoulder (I’m 5’10” ¾ btw ;). Luckily for me, there was not a lot of action on the back half of the stage, but the poor lady next to me wasn’t having as great of a time. The entire theatre was small too. So much so that I could hear the actors doing vocal warm ups before the show started. I don’t know if it’s true, but I am fairly certain the theatre doesn’t have any form of house speakers since the show started abruptly with no warning. The lighting and set weren’t complicated, but they still did a great job with both of them. The set was perfect for the story they were trying to tell, and the lights helped to shift focus when needed and give the correct mood to a scene. There were a few times when the entire first row was completely filled with light, but it wasn’t a bad experience, just a surprising one. All of these factors made the show fringe, but not a single factor hampered the enjoyment I had for the show. It’s a new musical, so it won’t be touring anytime soon, but if you get the chance to see the show then go see it.
Theatre in London U of A 