Fringe Review: BULL / FIGHT, Former Womens Locker Room at Summerhall
Photo credit: Joseph Wiggin
Conveying the staggering pain and loss of war, Bull / Fight uses arresting physical theatre and poetic narrative to tell the story of the rise of Franco in Spain. Written as a collective by company Mythology, the performance flits between tales of those in Spain during the Spanish civil war. Performed in the Former Women’s Locker Room, Summerhall, the space is intimate, allowing the suspense to ratchet up and boil over in the confines of the room.
Bull / Fight opens as the actors swirl together in a mass of physical theatre to dress one of the ensemble as the main protagonist, poet Garcia Loca. The performance begins with Loca’s imprisonment and the limits that erode freedom of speech placed on artists. The taut scene with a prison guard becomes a sign of the times before moving to a travelling theatre company adjusting their ideas due to the censorship. It is a troubling narrative on the restrictions on art, and a grounding glance at the privilege of being somewhere in the world where that is no longer the case anymore.
Set in the round, the staging is simple. It is the physicality of the theatre that binds the tales together and morphs into the terror of war. A little convoluted, the first half of the performance weaves through storylines, but when Loca is shot for his words, the tide turns. A remarkable shift in pace culminates in ferocious physical theatre, blending the rhythmic script, chanting and a soaring soundscape. It has a sort of stunning effect. The barrage is more of an onslaught than a truly compelling portrayal of the fear and agony of wartime.
Slightly contrived performances allow you to lose your way in the tumult onstage, leaving a hazy emotional connection to the storyline. Without feeling fully invested in the characters, which change throughout, and sometimes it is uncertain who is who, long sequences of physicality conveying torment and tribulation feel disconnected and a little surreal. Despite that, there is smart prop usage and an impressive soundscape that builds the atmosphere whilst the rest of the performance catches up.
Bull / Fight is an interesting premise to comment on how people’s rights are quashed during dictatorships, especially leaning into the effect on the arts. But here, the physical theatre is overdone, becoming insincere and removing any trace of the realities of the people suffering. An entertaining hour, Bull / Fight tells an imperative story that deserves your attention but perhaps go in ready for battle.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Hannah Goldswain
Bull / Fight plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 31 Aug, with further info here.