photograph by edinburghfestival.list.co.uk
Originally published by L.S. Media. October 12th 2011.
Cast: Britt Jurgensen, Ben Philips, Mary Pearson.
One of the fascinating and tremendous things about spending the night in the theatre is that occasionally you get challenged to think outside of the metaphorical box and tackle something that will really get the imagination going and the fingers poised over the top of your head ready to scratch just in case you might not realise what’s going on.
In the Fool’s Proof Theatre production of It’s Uniformation Day, there is certainly plenty of one and just the right amount of the other to make audiences enjoy this surreal and off the wall play. Directed by Fringe winner Jamie Wood, the play centres on the premise of three people chosen to be the ones who go through the ceremony. With just enough information given to the audience to make them question what exactly was going on but not too much to drown the elegant absurdity of the play, the team filled every part of the stage, involved themselves completely to the task at hand and enjoyed themselves as much as the delighted crowd.
It’s hard, strenuous work doing physical theatre and even more when one of the major props is tightly wrapped plastic; but through the actors’ interpretation, Britt Jurgensen, Ben Philips and Mary Pearson, it worked and worked well. One of the great things was the way in which the play involved the audience, not something you come across outside of the Christmas Pantomimes but taking a lion share of the generous applause on the night were the three members of the audience who had been asked to read from the book of Cheryl. Terrifying to some, the three ladies took it in their stride and were rewarded with thanks from a grateful cast and audience.
It’s Uniformation Day is one of the most surreal plays that has been performed at the Unity Theatre and one of the more challenging nights out; entertaining, thought provoking and just the most wonderful moments of pure insanity.
3 stars
Ian D. Hall