Sometimes it’s best if things are left unsaid, or in this case, unperformed to an audience in a major venue at the Edinburgh Fringe. Andronicus Synecdoche is performed with unapologetic confidence, however I can’t help but think their collective talent could be harvested to perform something worth saying.
The show is a choral rendition of a deep cut, Shakespearean play only known by being one of, if not the most gory out of his works. The Song of Goat Theatre company roots their work in “topical issues”, relating the brutality of this piece to that of the ongoing war in Europe. Though the piece is described as a “brutal and uncompromising warning”, I fear the warning is lost in the show’s brutal and uncompromising distastefulness.
Perhaps we could do without citing Shakespeare to perform scenes of rape and amputation, as gore plays out on limp and powerless women’s bodies. These moments stuck out and are regrettably very memorable, as following the plot is like eating soup with a fork unless you are well versed in deep cut Shakespeare.
It would be a shame if the show isn’t revised with tact. It is an aesthetically brawny showcase of performance art, in itself, of live instruments and opulent choral vocals belted from moving tableaus of twisted beauty.
To hear how to be heard, to adapt and change is what would redeem this spectacle of theatrical bravado. It can retain its dark beauty, while understanding source material can be built on and used to start a discussion about a topical issue, as opposed to loosely relating source material to a topical issue. There is always a choice to make the old anew.
Andronicus Synecdoche presented by Song of the Goat Theatre
20:20 @ ZOO Southside – Main House
Aug 8-13, 15-20, 22-27
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/andronicus-synecdoche-presented-by-song-of-the-goat-theatre
