The Prague Fringe Festival: Day 4 (May 25)

La Ronde Kompani Krapp (we must assume the name simply denotes a familiarity with Beckett) is a young Norwegian troupe that has brought their truncated version of Arthur Schnitzler's famous, if faded, play about the vagaries of human sexuality to the Fringe. Brave in its day, La Ronde simply doesn't have the impact it once did, though the Norwegians do everything in their power to contemporize it. Two components in this production are very clever and work exceedingly well. The first is having an onstage DJ who sets the mood of each scene at his turntables. He's also a witness to the action, silently responding to the various pairings of partners with a jaded smile or bemused air. He also smokes a mean hookah. The second element is even better - post-coital filmed commentary from a plain, solitary woman on a screen, who announces the time each coupling took down to the minute (which ranges from one tantric session between two men to a young man's unfortunate premature ejaculation). That this officious talking clock makes her reports while engaged in some household drudgery only adds to the comedy. Here's an idea worth stealing. That said, the production itself falls flat, though the Norwegians must be complimented for their bravery in performing the show in English, which is near-faultless. Still, even in this shorter version, there's little heat created onstage, and only three of the actors really stand out: Robert Rustad Amundsen, Lena Sandvand and Israel Jesus Elias Corral, the latter excellent as the "Little Miss." Like a winded dancer, this La Ronde comes to a sudden, exhausted halt. Teasing, but flaccid. Divadlo na prádle  

In a Thousand Pieces I had planned to see Cactus after the Paper Birds' In a Thousand Pieces, but their brutally honest exploration of trafficked women left me in a state of emotional shock. This is theater at its most potent, and it's stunningly performed by the English trio of Elle Moreton, Jemma McDonnell and Kylie Walsh. Anyone that caught the Paper Birds' piece at last year's Fringe Festival will know that this astonishing troupe has a full command of comedy, and there are a few fine comical moments to be found in In a Thousand Pieces. But they are also consummate dramatic actors (not to mention powerful physical performers), and their fearless delving into their topic is breathtaking - literally so, as it was difficult for some audience members to rally the strength to stand and leave at the end. The company program indicates that the Paper Birds spent a period researching their show in Poland with Wrocław's famous Teatr Pieśń Kozła (a company that grew out of Grotowski's methods), and one can see the philosophical connection the two troupes share. The three Paper Birds collectively represent an Everywoman, a young East European woman, perhaps Romanian or Albanian, who comes to Britain to seek a better existence, only to be enslaved as a sex worker. There is a moment when the three silently, communally enact the beating and rape of this Everywoman, which is impossible to watch unfazed. Casual items become startling metaphors: buttons, suitcases, ice cream cones. At the end of this play dealing with an endless horror, the Paper Birds freeze in position onstage. They will not, cannot accept the thunderous applause given them. How could they? That is all you need to know about the courage, determination and commitment of this talented group and their very necessary theater. See this show. Divadlo na prádle  

Top 5 Fringe picks: 1. In a Thousand Pieces 2. The Crying Cherry 3. Backward Glance 4. Canarsie Suite 5. Crossed Wires

Steffen Silvis can be reached at
ssilvis@praguepost.com