The Prague Fringe Festival: Day 3 (May 30)

The World's Wife Based on a collection of poetry by Carol Ann Duffy (Britain's Poet Laureate), the show portrays the 'true stories' of the inamorata of numerous mythological and historical men (Darwin, Aesop, Faust, etc.) and examines and reimagines history and literature from a female perspective. Essentially feminist agit-prop, the text is intermittently angry, wry and evocative, and manages to avoid coming off as either alienating or shrill (no small feat that). The production starts off dubiously with an exclamation from one of the cast members (all of whom are women, aligned like the three bears plus one from tallest to tiniest with an aged add-on and a musician) that her lack of adequate Czech should enable the audience to say whatever we like about the ensemble. One might be inclined to utter something less than kind as the group erupts into an ill-conceived and inexpertly executed dance routine, but the players soon redeem themselves as the choreography takes a back seat to poetry. Hapless blocking and weak props and costumes decline in significance as the show unfolds. Each incarnation of a famous (or famously wed) female tells a different tale about the pitfalls and pleasures of sex, marital life and gender inequality. The surprise is that very few of these complaints approach anything like a whine. Rather they evince pride, cleverness and joie de vivre. At the close, when the offer to say what we like is reprised, all that remains to be uttered is a somewhat bewildered cry of bravo (A Studio Rubín, May 31-June 2 at 7).

The Harbour Such revels are the reason we venture forth to the theater. The only criticism to be offered to Limbik for their brilliant interpretation of the selkie myth is that they only have one performance left in their run. The rest is praise. Making the most of their limited set and properties, this trio of actors (plus one marvelous cellist) tells the heart-rending tale of a fisherman who falls in love with a selkie (a seal who transforms into a human). Transformation is our watchword as seals become women, boots become fish, nets become water and women turn back into seals. Amid the imaginative staging, a simple love story is told, highlighting the conflict that often arises between devotion and personal identity. Not a moment is wasted as love is lost and found, and one quickly relaxes into total confidence in the troupe's ability to conjure and entertain, which is a rare treat (Divadlo Čertovka, May 31 at 8:15).

Thumb Featuring a young, earnest and largely excellent cast, this distinctly Canadian troupe attempts an ambitious family drama about two brothers and a sister trying and failing to maintain a semblance of normalcy amid an increasingly bleak series of challenging realities. Murder, mother issues of Freudian proportions and the familial ties that bind come to the fore as the siblings negotiate entrepreneurship, holiday rituals and ritualistic killings. A nice juxtaposition of naturalism and symbolism is achieved in the choice of a mute dancer in the role of a female victim who haunts the proceedings, drifting in and out of scenes like the specter of a tortured soul and an occasional illustration of dirty deeds. The somewhat hackneyed plot comes apart in places, and an excess of exhibition detracts considerably from some of the better performances by aspiring character actors in this year's festival (Divadlo Čertovka, May 30-June 1 at 6:45). Promising: Going West, Nora Connolly's exhibition of anecdotal performance poetry sees its final showing tonight (Kavárna 3+1, May 31 at 6:30). Sealskin is another take on the selkie myth, this time by winners of last year's Creative Award (A Studio Rubín, May 31 at 5:30; June 1-2 at 3:30; June 3-5 at 7).  

James Walling can be reached at
jwalling@praguepost.com