Fringe Review: FLY, YOU FOOLS!, Beyond at Pleasance Courtyard
Photo credit: Mike Bryk
Besties, in the last year we have become big fans of Recent Cutbacks and their brilliantly ridiculous way of turning some of cinema's biggest films into tiny pieces of live theatre.
Their formula is simple but incredibly clever: take a much-loved film, strip away the Hollywood budget and recreate it live using performers, Foley, physical comedy, props and whatever other bits of theatrical ingenuity they can get their hands on.
Last year at the Fringe, we saw and loved Hold On To Your Butts, their frame-by-frame Jurassic Park retelling, and this year we got to experience KEVIN!!!!!, their wonderfully inventive take on Home Alone. So, with one of our favourite film trilogies of all time sitting in the Recent Cutbacks repertoire, we couldn't leave Edinburgh without squeezing in Fly, You Fools!, their one-hour recreation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
We know that film very, very well, so we were fascinated to see how on earth they were going to cram Middle Earth into 60 minutes. Somehow, they do it remarkably well.
The quartet of performers barely let the energy drop, rattling through the story at an impressive pace while the Foley table does its usual heavy lifting. And once again, the comedy comes thick and fast. There are moments where it felt like we were laughing five times a minute.
We did, however, feel that this was the least polished of the three Recent Cutbacks shows we've seen. Hold On To Your Butts had its multiple frame sizes and KEVIN!!!!! introduced the clever live-camera and screen technology, whereas Fly, You Fools! felt more reliant on the company's established Foley and physical comedy.
These are very picky criticisms, because we still had an absolute whale of a time.
Recent Cutbacks have developed a theatrical language that is completely their own, and watching them find new ways to apply it to films we know and love is bloody brilliant. They are rapidly becoming an essential part of our Fringe experience, and if the rumours of more work heading to London are true, we'll be first in the queue.
We can't wait to see what they butcher lovingly next.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
Fly, You Fools! plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 31 Aug, with further info here.
