Gramophones
Theatre Company
25
August 2012
'End to
End' is one of the quirky gems waiting to be found amongst the mad mish-mash
(technical term) of the Free Fringe: it was recommended to me by two EFR
reviewers (their thoughts on the show can be found here http://edfringereview.com/r/UCi_Q25cQ6WR3W81XDx6yg
– shameless plug Number I-Don’t-Know-What), and word of mouth recommendations
had obviously been doing a great job for the Gramophone Theatre Company. The
back room of Bannermans was full to the brim for this performance, their last at the Fringe.
The show
presents Hannah Stone, Ria Ashcroft and Kristy Guest's adventure from one end
of the country to the other, as they travelled from Land's
End to John O'Groats in April 2012. For the most part getting by
on the kindness of strangers, their trip has been adapted into a touching and
charming piece of theatre about human connections and the way that chance
encounters, however fleeting, can make a deep impression. It is heart-warming,
funny and at times unexpectedly moving, and the cheery, sparky spirit of these
three women makes it impossible not to be swept away by their tales. Each
performer has a particular personality trait which they exploit to characterise
the narration whilst still managing to stick close to their true selves, making
the show honest: there is Hannah the tea-loving worrier, Ria the (almost)
fearless adventurer, and Kristy the wide-eyed innocent. The bond and love
between these friends is evident and is passed on to the audience through their
direct communication with us, sharing in their thoughts, feelings and desires.
The involvement of names and stories of the people they met lends a truth to the
show, and the three performers allow the audience in to share their personal
highs and lows without ever creating a feeling of discomfort. When Kristy speaks of her homesickness, I am sure it strikes a chord with many in the audience: by
simply reading a text message from her mother to evoke her feelings, the moment is touching without becoming sickly sweet or too obviously pulling at the
heartstrings with long, demonstrative speeches.
The set
is cluttered artistically with rucksacks, maps, signposts and
blackboards which are updated as the story continues, as the girls rack up
miles, costs and increasingly wackier modes of transport, from trains to
tractors, space hoppers to scooters, hitch-hiking to handgliders. The use of
photographs and film is a nice touch to bring truth to the tales and to add
interest to the show, which could have become a little flat with just a spoken
narrative. Similarly, the stylised enacting of aspects of the journey is
effective, particularly Kristy's representation of handgliding and Hannah's
comic episode of a difficult cycle ride. The mimes and models are
sometimes childlike, sometimes striking, such as the recreation of the
kite-flying at the conclusion of the journey. At times the show can verge on
being a little too cheesy: at one point, on being told to shut our eyes, the audience are wafted with cushions (I peeked…) to simulate the sensation of travelling
in the open air, which felt rather gimmicky. I can see the effect they were
aiming for, but for me this attempt to take us on the journey with them misses the mark slightly and is somewhat unnecessary.
However,
this is a very minor point: overall I was captivated by the charm of the show
and by the touching journey of the three women. The show ends with every
audience member being given a postcard addressed to the women, and a seed. I’m
still deciding what to do with mine: but I can’t help but be inspired by the
Gramophones’ experiences and their simple but touching rendering of their great
British adventure.
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