FRINGE 2015: Fin – A Feast of Fools – Royal Croquet Club: The Black Box – 3K

A strange group of characters come together on the high seas: haunting shanties are sung by a three legged girl; the crew are agile acrobats; a mermaid appears and turns out to be quite adept with a hula-hoop; and a bewildering creature, who seems to be some sort of sentient buoy and is obsessed with fish, provides some amusingly silly clowning. On a decaying ship, the surrounding objects – ropes, water (or rum) flagons, drums, logs, sacks and knives – become the props for this performance.

The opening sequence, involving carnival clown machines, is a strange way to start the show. How exactly this fits in with the maritime theme is not clear and it doesn’t do a particularly good job of engaging the audience. For the most part though, each act works well in the overarching plot and transitions smoothly into the next. There are however, sections where the action lulls for too long, allowing attention to drift and making the show drag a little.

The high points are the impressive acrobatic segments which, while not necessarily breaking any new ground in the area, are physically demanding and well executed. A few minor mishaps highlighted the potential for things to go wrong and made them all the more satisfying when they did work.

The show incorporates a good variety of performance types, all performed to a high standard, but could do with a little tightening up, and possibly the removal of one of two less relevant scenes. Overall it’s inoffensive family fun that, while not likely to blow the mind, has appeal for both adults and children.

Kryztoff Rating: 3K

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