Tag Archives: Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Fabulett 1933

★★★

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

ReviewsEdinburgh Festival Fringe, Edwin Louis, Fabulett 1933, Fabulett Productions, Joseph Winer, Michael Trauffer, Sarah Morrisonthespyinthestalls

FABULETT 1933 at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

★★★

“Trauffer’s performance is full of charisma”

Our story begins in 1932 in the fabulous Fabulett cabaret club in Berlin. Fascism is on the rise and queer clubs and culture spaces are under attack. Tonight is the last night of club Fabulett before they close their doors for good at 10pm. Looking after us for the evening is our host, Felix, who appears in leather pants and corset, with black gloves, a cape and a cain. He is accompanied by pianist James Hall who plays the tunes in this camptastic musical variety show. Despite this being the place where the first gender-affirming surgery was performed, a country where queerness had the opportunity to flourish, Felix (Michael Trauffer), and his queerness, is not fully embraced by his family. As he uncovers stories from his past, we learn that he moved to Berlin to live his true self, away from his father who thought that fighting in the war would be the thing to make him finally “man up”.

Trauffer’s performance is full of charisma. Whilst telling us the poignant details of his past, of his broken relationship with his family, he’s also able to find lots of humour and a glittery sense of fun, especially with the music numbers. He stands centre stage, performing a number about wanting his queerness to be ‘visible’, a song he reprises a couple of times throughout the show. The musical numbers are a little static. During one of them, Trauffer mounts a suitcase which he begins to whip as he discovers his kinkier side. But a little more choreography could go a long way to let these numbers really shine.

There’s some letter writing to his mother back home, for which Felix decides to hide his threesomes and instead refer to all the new ‘friends and acquaintances’ he’s made. After the death of his mother, he’s told not to come back home by his dad. But he makes it as a big star in the cabaret, despite the nightmares and flashbacks from his war days creeping into his sleep. There are moments of real poignancy, which nicely contrast with the high-energy musical numbers.

At the end of the night, the Fabulett closes, and we’re left with an important message about the rise of fascism. Just as the Nazis closed down the cabaret clubs in the 1930s, the same thing could happen again. With censorship, threats to freedom of speech, and an increase in LGBTQ+ hate-crime on the rise, it could happen under our noses. And any of us could be at risk of losing our freedoms. The story is a little surface level at times, but nevertheless it’s a very entertaining hour of performance, with a captivating performance from Trauffer.

Reviewed 10th August 2022

by Joseph Winer

Photography by Edwin Louis

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No Place Like Home

★★★★

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

ReviewsAlex Roberts, Cameron Carver, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Jac Cooper, Joseph Winer, Kirsten Peters Roebuck, No Place Like Home, Virginie Taylorthespyinthestalls

NO PLACE LIKE HOME at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

★★★★

“fresh, unique and totally compelling”

No Place Like Home, written and performed by Alex Roberts, fuses music, dance, spoken word and video design to explore gay club culture and the impact of shame on queer identity and community. Roberts performs a visceral, lyrical text, telling the story of young gay man Connor who meets Rob, an older gay guy who works on the bar at a local club. Connor is fresh to the scene with less experience and is looking for guidance. Maybe Rob will be able to help with that. But having a healthy relationship with your sexuality and even potential partners is hard when the spaces you need are difficult to find.

Roberts’ text is beautifully nuanced, witty, funny and deeply emotional. He practically sings through parts of it, creating a lovely rapport with the audience. This pays off hugely as the story progresses and things become darker; more vulnerable. By the end of the show, Roberts’ face is smudged with tears; the music, movement and story all build to a difficult climax. Still, there is ambiguity in the text, and the show is less a preachy message singing to the converted, rather instead exploring the complexities of queer sex culture.

Video sometimes feels like an add-on, or a replacement for set which doesn’t always work, but that’s definitely not the case here. Virginie Taylor’s video design in this is superb. It’s a vital part of the storytelling. Human bodies dance and rave, immersing Roberts in the club space, with flashes of neon-coloured lights and sparkles. Roberts effortlessly transitions between the two central characters, the flick of his cap and adjustments to his voice and body language making the switch. Connor is light and vulnerable. Rob is tougher, more grounded and confident.

Underneath the smoke, and Jac Cooper’s electric sound design and composition, is an exploration of the play’s title; a question of what or where is home, as we witness Connor’s attempt to find it. At one moment, during the club’s stripping contest, Roberts removes his shorts and jacket to reveal a Dorothy dress underneath. The imagery of Dorothy clicking her heels appears at another moment, projected onto the background. It’s a clear motif that runs really nicely throughout the show.

At the risk of telling a story that’s been told many times before, Roberts avoids this by presenting something fresh, unique and totally compelling. He’s a brilliant storyteller, and the blend of artforms in this show makes it very special indeed.

Reviewed 10th August 2022

by Joseph Winer

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