Post by @federicabalbi

Seen at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 19^th of August 2024

3 stars – between reality and… a reality (show)

Sammy and Clyde apparently meet for their first date, feeling slightly awkward and embarrassed. Yes, apparently, because it doesn’t take long to understand that they are the protagonists of a reality show: at their next attempt, the Producer appears to tell them how to act and what not to do.

The relationship between the characters changes as each one’s priorities are gradually uncovered, and as they suffer the stress of having to pretend for the sake of the camera. The boundary between fiction and reality starts to blur, until Sammy and Clyde are no longer able to recognise which feelings are real and which have only been staged.

This faceted comedy written by Lola Annesley and co-directed by Ivo Beatty, Alice Allen, and Olive Bown, is based on an interesting concept. It is comprehensive of exhilarating gags from dating stories as well as the experience of acting with someone you are somehow involved with. The plot and the staging suffer from some occasional naivety, but humour saves most scenes from this slippery slope.

It is captivating to see Evie Meadows (Sammy) and Benjamin Oliveira (Clyde) change modes, from romantic to flirty, to indecisive, etc. Nonetheless, the play loses some of its appeal when Sammy and Clyde get into exasperation mode: the characters lose strength, as they should, but the acting also loses power. Joshua Hogan (the Producer) is the engine that brings the comedy close to being absurd through his work of manipulation, and paradoxically results in becoming the strongest character.

19^th-25^th August; 1.20 pm

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: C ARTS – C Alto

Tickets and Info: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/100-my-type-on-paper

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drop.dead.theatre/