Fringe Review – The Starship Osiris (rating: 4/5)
Riotous, yes. Almost anarchic. Was there a script for this? Of course there was, though the cast does almost convince you that their falling out over missed lines and one character’s unhappiness at even being in Edinburgh is genuine.
The roars of laughter from a mainly student-aged audience, probably well-fuelled in the Underbelly bars beforehand, left me a little bemused.
However, its bizarre plot was compelling enough to keep a well-attended first show fully engaged, even if we all left wondering what it was really all about.
The presentation is loosely based around a sci-fi adventure, though it descends into the cast swapping insults and hurling stage props.
Writer, director and main character George Vere as Captain Harrison spends a lot of time snogging the female actors which seems to set him up for a downfall, apparently because of his arrogance, but it doesn’t really seem to matter amidst the slapstick and general mayhem.
Vere has previously performed in HMS Pinafore and Aladdin and this is a sort of updated panto for a student audience with Vere closely resembling the Rik Mayall character from the Young Ones.
Some of the humour passed me by, but it was a fun hour of nonsense nonetheless.
The Starship Osiris, Underbelly, until 26 August
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