Orpheus

Dave has a monochrome life until he sees Eurydice across a crowded Karaoke bar whilst singing Springsteen. And then it’s all colour and light, until… until… well, no spoilers. You have to experience this for yourself.

Wright is our narrator – but he doesn’t just speak, he draws us a picture with words, with the way he looks and lingers, how he moves his body, how he holds his body. And despite the cacophony from other shows surrounding this open-air venue on a Saturday evening, he is utterly captivating.

And then Grainger, disarming us with a smile behind an acoustic guitar, starts to sing. And his voice soars. Somehow, we’re all singing or humming with him. It’s a story from thousands of years ago, but we are completely enthralled. We’re holding onto every breath from these two. It’s magnificent storytelling, terrific theatre.

Fringe regulars Alex Wright and Phil Grainger wrote this modern re-telling of Greek mythology in 2016 and have been performing it around the world ever since. It’s simple in its structure – we’re sitting in rows of chairs arranged opposite each other, a corridor between us for these two to perform. This is no traverse stage – it’s just a piece of concrete on an island in the middle of Rymill Park lake – yet they transform it into a pub, a caff, a karaoke bar, Hades! This is crafted to be performed in any space, without microphones or lights, and this simplicity allows us to focus on these two performing for over an hour.

This show should be a Fringe rite of passage – what Wright and Grainger have created appeals to the head, heart, and soul. Just go and experience it. Even if you’ve seen it before. You’ll thank me.

Mark Wickett