• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Tickets

Ed Fringe 2016: In Our Hands at Underbelly Cowgate

August 12, 2016 by Maggie Kelly Leave a Comment

Review of: In Our Hands
Produced by:
Smoking Apples
Price:
£10-£12

Reviewed by: Maggie Kelly
Rating:
4
On August 12, 2016
Last modified:August 12, 2016

Summary:

An inventive and beautiful story of a fisherman's life

More Details

The last show Smoking Apples brought to the Fringe was the acclaimed Cell, a thoughtful piece which used puppetry in order to explore motor neurone syndrome. After such a success, it would seem difficult to replicate this result only a year later, but the group have done exactly that with their new piece In Our Hands. This takes a slightly broader theme, that of the trawler fishing industry, but focuses in on the fisherman Alf – a widower with a slightly estranged son and huge piles of debts threatening to eclipse both him and the industry he loves.

IN OUR HANDS PUBLICITY Photo Credit: Richard Davenport 2016 richard@rwdavenport.co.uk

The puppetry of both Alf and his son was done masterfully, particularly because the company set up certain rules at the very start of the piece which were never broken – for example, that understandable words were only spoken on answering machines, radio broadcasts and other mechanical objects, all other scenes were communicated through murmuring and gestures. This shared rule managed to tie the puppets and the humans together and create a very visible shared world in a way that I think actually eclipsed the purely puppeteered Cell the year before. There was a generosity and a simplicity about the action that was wonderful, an understanding that was forged between performer and audience that stuck through the entire piece.

Boats crawled up and down glowing sheets of netting, fish prices were displayed on blackboards, three boxes and a reel of this same net provided the basis of set for the entire piece. However, what made this play stand out was the fact that it did not simply concentrate on the fishing industry, but had its’ heart in a wobbly relationship between father and the son that had decided he did not want to take over the fishing business. It is this relationship which formed the emotional backbone of the piece and meant that the audience properly invested in the characters, perceiving not only their dreams but also their flaws in a way that was not quite so present in Cell. However, one of the downsides of this was that the production spent so long building up this familial relationship we never actually saw one of the plot-based highlights of the piece – how Alf’s son managed to ‘make sardines sexy again’ and thereby regained his father’s love and trust. This was a sore blow, as the piece seemed to suddenly turn a corner and race towards a conclusion in around 8 minutes, slightly cheapening the incredibly complex and beautiful web of problems and relationships that Smoking Apple had spent the last 50 minutes creating.

This was a fantastically produced and emotionally hard-hitting show; the end scene when Alf changes his answerphone message to that of his son instead of his dead wife physically made me tear up. It is only a shame that the son’s solution to his father’s financial problems was never made accessible to the audience, otherwise this would have been as close to a flawless show as I have come across.

Author: Maggie Kelly

Filed Under: Featured, Review Tagged With: Edinburgh Fringe 2016

Join the discussion Cancel reply

Review / The Journey To Venice at the Finborough Theatre

Bjorg Vik’s play The Journey To Venice is a delightful production, entertaining yet full of pathos. A play with a [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Tzarini Meyler talks KITES at VAULT Festival

We spoke to Artistic Director of LipZinc Theatre, writer and performer Tzarini Meyler about her upcoming show at VAULT Festival [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Naomi Westerman talks BATMAN (aka Naomi’s Death Show)

We spoke to writer and performer Naomi Westerman from Little But Fierce about her upcoming show at VAULT Festival Can [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Angharad Jones on The Swearing Jar 

From New Perspectives, The Swearing Jar is a comedy about love, heartbreak, living with the past and accepting the future. We spoke to director Angharad [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Unleash The Llama talks Five Years With The White Man

We spoke to the creators of Five Years With The White Man about the upcoming show coming to VAULT Festival [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • Tim Edge talks Under the Black Rock
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • Crowdfunding In Theatre - An Overview
  • The Pros and Cons of Crowdfunding
  • Angharad Jones on The Swearing Jar 
  • Jane Eyre at the National Theatre
  • Is this the real location of Ambridge?
  • Complicité's A Minute Too Late at the National Theatre
  • Maggie Kelly
    Author

  • August 12th, 2016
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook99TweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2023 · Blue Pie Media

     

    Loading Comments...
     

      Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

      Email sent!