Stage: Otherplace Brighton Fringe Highlights
Some cherry-picking from a favourite venue
Repeatedly found to be a treasure trove for theatrical offerings, Otherplace started with the one venue Upstairs At Three And Ten, and has since expanded so that at this year’s Brighton Fringe in May, its programming will reach four venues. The 2012 find of The Warren (this year called The Warren: Main House) is located around the back of The Brighton Centre and offering a surprise oasis of greenery as well as a reasonably large auditorium. Last year saw the arrival of The Burrow (in the vestry of nearby St Paul’s Church), slightly smaller but found off the same greenery, that each year has proven a welcome central watering hole. And this year sees the introduction of the group’s fourth venue – The Warren At St Paul’s, allowing for the Otherplace talent scouts to offer up even more shows to feast upon, handpicked from various festivals and theatre groups from around the country.
Crossing many genres, with quality offerings in kids shows, comedy, cabaret, music and events, as well as some incredible highlights in theatre.
A must-see for anyone who suffers from TARDIS-envy is I Need A Doctor: The Whosical (2–4 May, 5.30pm, £9.50/8, The Warren: Main House), a musical penned by Doctor-loving superfans Jamie and Jess who carefully navigate writing a musical about the time-traveller without infringing on any BBC copyright. Clever so-and-sos.
The winner of the Brighton Fringe Emerging Talent Award The Bloody Ballad from Gaggle Babble is here for a long opening weekend of the Fringe (3–6 May, 7.15pm, £10/8.50, The Warren: Main House). Described as
‘Brothers Grimm meets Tarantino’ in a brutal love story set in 1950s America. Murderously sexy, riotously bloody, dark and debauched with rockin’ live music – you’ll find it all here.
Alice Cooper’s Waves (15–18 May, 6.30pm, £8/6.50, The Burrow) is a remarkable one-woman show about the inventor of the butterfly stroke. Combining new writing with highly expressive storytelling, this is already making… well, waves, as a buzz about it circulates.
Sparkle And Dark’s Killing Roger looks splendid, mixing up incredible life-size puppetry and original live music to tell a moving yet humorous tale of an old man and a boy at opposite ends of their lives. Recommended for those aged 13 and over, this is a show to share across the generations. (17–16 May, 6.45pm, £10/8.50, The Warren: Main House).
After a couple of years’ absence, Italian playwright Dario Fo’s The Open Couple returns to the Brighton Fringe, this time in the intimate space of Upstairs At The Three And Ten, perfect for the claustrophobia of the relationship depicted, along with a voyeuristic element any audience may find when examining a couple at close quarters. With cutting dialogue that’s sharp and humorous, this production from Dampbadger Productions, serves up a compulsive hour of top notch European theatre. (19–20 & 27–28 May, 10.30pm, £9.50/8, Upstairs At Three And Ten).
With hundreds of shows to skim through, it’s well worth making your own investigations for other highlights of the Brighton Fringe, across the city and in various unusual locations.
Do some digging and you will most certainly find treasure.
The Warren: Main House, The Burrow, The Warren At St Paul’s, Upstairs At Three And Ten,
To book tickets: 07800 983 290
www.otherplacebrighton.co.uk
www.brightonfringe.org
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