What a lovely way to start at day in Brighton Fringe – first rate acting and story telling with breakfast included!
Making their much awaited return to Brighton after an 11 year absence, the Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show served up an amazing buffet of delights this morning. Five plays in one hour sounds like a great deal to take in, but each one was so different, so well told and so well acted that it was a pleasure to watch. And when there is a delicious range of coffees and teas, a strawberry and a croissant on offer, you can sit back and enjoy.
Short plays are a difficult form to get right, and these are examples of how to do it with ease. With almost no staging, each set of characters moves quickly into the action, letting us discover who they are through their behaviour. We move from an demanding couple deriving gratification from their language choices, to a translation exercise with little hope of a positive outcome, with some interesting and challenging relationships between. Each play has a strong sense of development within it, the conclusion a clever twist or a unexpected outcome, each resolving to give a sense of a much longer piece. The action moves on, and in no time you are immersed in a totally different story.
These plays and actors have been put together by Nick Brice who has curated them beautifully. Using some professionals and others who are new to the business, the quality of the acting is clear to see, so much more than we were expecting. The plays themselves are memorable and touching, getting to the essence of the characters within just 10 minutes. If it had carried on for a few more hours, we think we’d all be sitting there still and wanting more.
If you want a dead certain in Brighton Fringe, this is probably it. With four different menus on offer (we saw Menu Four), this is an accomplished troop working a little like a rep company, adept at switching between characters, each one of them capable of holding the attention. We only wish we’d could see all their shows.
Huge congratulations for an ambitious show that totally delivered.
Performance Dates:
Saturday 3rd – Monday 26th May (10am & 11.30am) (Four menus of 4-5 plays)
Tickets are available from Brighton Fringe – £14/£12 (Includes breakfast!)
Cast List:
William Neame
Miranda Everitt
Scott Virgo
Emma Bean
Hana Vincent
Stephen Povey
Andy Bell
Lisa Fairfield
Lucy Brinkman
Kate Webley
