“Fox delivers a masterclass in physical performing”
An image recognised across the world, ouroboros is an age-old symbol depicting a dragon, or snake, eating its own tail. In her riotous one-woman show, Charlotte Fox contemporises the image: how far are we willing to go to maintain our image? Ouroboros is a witty and piercing critique of how we are made to view our bodies and the pains we endure in order to ‘look good’ for the damning and judgmental eyes of this materialistic world.
A struggling actor, Charlotte (as depicted in the show) is propelled by her agent onto a quest to get thin. Her journey incorporates the archetypical American self-help guru through to the verbally abusive fitness instructor-cum-DJ seen in gyms and park across the city pushing fitness freaks to their limits. Seeing this show just minutes after an aimless wander through a nearby Planet Organic exposes how manipulative and confusing current ‘health foods’ on offer can be. What should we eat to live healthy lives? And who’s methods, who’s diet, who’s message can we trust?
With just herself and a few props, Fox delivers a masterclass in physical performing. Easily contorting her body to become an array of crooked and crazy characters, she remains focused and totally committed to character and place throughout. The results are hilarious. She builds a strong relationship and rapport with the audience, asking us to take part and shape the show with her. Fox is a confident performer, and as this show moves to Edinburgh, ‘Ouroboros’ will undoubtedly be a hit.
If there’s a downside, it’s that the show stretches just a little too long and has a few repetitive moments, but even these work towards the shows central themes. Fad food diets, fitness regimes and social media are all traps, serpents eating their own tails. Approach with caution (or, at least, cynicism). Fox manages to satirise the trends of urban life without seeming exclusive or part of a ‘London elite’, which is increasingly rare with shows of this kind, and makes Ouroboros of even greater appeal. If you’re in Edinburgh this summer, please don’t miss this captivating and astonishing show.
Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich
Photography by Marc Abe
Ouroboros
Camden People’s Theatre
Ouroboros is at Cowgate, Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 2nd to 14th August
“troubled by needless montage sequences and audience participation that add little to proceedings”
In a time in which news coverage surrounding ‘alternative facts’ and ‘fake news’, Moliere’s Le Misanthrope holds an obvious appeal. The desire of a single person to speak truth in an age in which lies are dominant burns as brightly as when written. Revived here at the Camden People’s Theatre, the transference of the play to a modern newsroom both aids and restricts the play’s appeal.
Relocated to the modern day, we follow Alceste, a popular news anchor. He despises the flattery in society, and prefers to speak bluntly. However, he is in love Celeste, who uses her fame to spread as much gossip as possible. Alceste’s journey to win his love and correct the society around him will see him very much swimming against the tide.
The script itself is well adapted, performed through rhyming couplets that lend the dialogue a natural rhythm. Interestingly, the company are performing the show alternatively across the run in both English and French. It is striking to see how relevant Moliere proves to be to today’s world, with links to the Donald Trumps’ and the Loose Women of the world coming all too easily.
Alongside playing Alceste, star David Furlong also directs the play. He is complimented by a fascinating video design that links the play to social media. While generally smooth, it is a shame that the production can lack pace, and is troubled by needless montage sequences and audience participation that add little to proceedings. Also, while generally well performed, the running time does in extended periods struggle for laughs.
Surrounding Furlong is a strong ensemble cast. Anoushka Rava captures the vapid nature of her character. Many highlights come from Leo Elso’s Oronte, a sensitive soul that takes every chance to indulge in his artistry. Furlong himself, while undertaking a tremendous task in starring and directing this production, doesn’t seem to really hate enough. It may be due to his nature that even in his most hatefully intended rants, he still comes across as quite pleasant.
While interesting to see, Moliere’s text does in this performance really cry out for unleashing. You leave wanting more precision, raised stakes and the changed setting works better for some aspects than others. Overall then, a fascinating bi-language project from Exchange Theatre that while holding much promise, at this stage doesn’t quite hit the height of its ambitions.
