On this trip I saw many fringe theatre shows. What is fringe you may ask, fringe is a show that is off West End or Broadway and normally has a smaller theatre. On this trip I had two favorites from our list of fringe. “Jules and Jim” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”.
“How to Succeed in Business” was my favorite of the two. The casting was very untraditional and I think that why I enjoyed it. It was preformed on a thrust stage so they were moving all around. It was interesting how everyone had a mic on them but the theatre was small enough that their voices projected just fine without them. They had maybe six movable set pieces and they made due for what they could fit on their tiny stage. The lighting was very interesting, lots of older lights with lighting gels on them. I enjoyed the simplicity of the colors in the show. I kept trying to figure out how they got that pink to light the stage, but I couldn’t find where it was coming from! The blocking was very aesthetically pleasing, because there were lots of triangles. I would LOVE to see it again!
My second favorite was “Jules and Jim” at Jermyn Street Theatre. The set was so simple and I think that had to of been the SMALLEST theater I’ve been in. I loved being able to see all of their facial expressions, and even when they were talking soft I could still hear them. The set was interesting because it was all painted blue and the bathrooms were on the stage. They used a sliding glass to tell the changing of setting. I also noticed they stopped using the glass slide halfway through the show. After the show we got to meet the cast and that was very fun.
Overall, I think I like fringe theatre more than other theatre. It feels more intimate and I just feel more connected with the characters. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed the West End shows here that much. I feel like fringe shows is where you go to get real theatre.
Theatre in London U of A 