The festivals are up and running.  Choosing How to Act as my first show had nothing to do with the fact that I'll be on stage myself in ten days time.  But maybe some tips were to be gleaned from a show that starts off as an acting masterclass.

The intense, absorbed, mildly poncy luminary carefully prowling barefoot round the stage dispensing wise thoughts to the slightly nervous and unsure but promising actress, encouraging her to present are beautifully observed characters beautifully performed.

The show rolls along like this for a while but gradually morphs into something else.  The story becomes darker, roles are reversed and the relationship between the two protagonists becomes both more personal and more political.  The denouement is maybe a teensy weensy bit unsurprising but I shan't spoil it here because while not wonderful the production is worth seeing.

As is Flesh and Bone, a vigorously performed set of episodes in the lives of a group of London tower block dwellers.  Rough, tough and generally short of the readies they have much in common with Falstaff's chums in the taverns of Shakespeare's London.  And the text, as vigorous as the performances, has a real Shakespearian flavour.  It's excellent writing.  The acting is great. The stories are fun.  A bit of trimming needed here and there but a good show.

At the end of Rupture the five actors left the stage and the four spectators left the auditorium.  No show really deserves that but on the other hand I wouldn't encourage you to choose this show out of the three thousand odd on offer.  But then science fiction doesn't often hit my spot whilst it might make you quiver with joy. 

After some sort of apocalypse (the rupture of the title) a government organisation, the bureau, controls the population to help eke out the planet's meagre resources.  They are charged with arranging for people to shuffle off their mortal coils when they no longer make a contribution to society.

A new employee comes along,  Keen as mustard to make his mark he's not been there five minutes before he's employee of the month but crunch time comes hard behind.  He has to arrange his mum's departure (as the jargon puts it).

He doesn't want to snuff out his mum (the nasty deed is actually done by non human agents, his role is merely administrative but still).  The play then is all about the working out of this dilemma.  It's not a bad story with twists and turns here and there to keep you guessing but something doesn't work, or to be fair didn't work for me.

Harking back to How to Act, one of the mantras of the acting game as expounded there is that to connect with the audience the actor has to find the truth.  The truth of his character, of his situation.  That's what the cast of Rupture failed to do though they got close now and then.

The economics of the Fringe mean that there are an awful lot of one person shows on offer.  I tend to avoid them.  It is after all a big ask to keep an audience attentive and entertained for an hour or more all on your lonesome.

The actress in The Portable Dorothy Parker did her best, and her best was very good but despite considering myself to be something of a Dorothy Parker fan her bons mots just didn't seem so bons any more.  Does this mean I've grown up or grown old?