August 6th - One show only!

Forever onward - just more slowly!

Old age - or being 30 which is not the same thing (no matter what people in their 20s say) - is definitely getting the better of me. I tell myself that I am being sensible and just spreading out the pleasure. I know it's a lie but there is nothing wrong with denial when you get to sleep in! I'm resting up - my inner tall-tale continues - for a long day on Friday. But more about that later...

Malasombra - 3 Stars

In three words - Beware be-hatted men!
Highlight - The aforementioned be-hatted man.

auments.com

Malasombra - bad shadow. I feel the urge for more evil cackling. This is, essentially, a fairytale, performed in dance - I therefore already feel at home - which tells the story of a girl and her shadow. Her shadow that seems to have a life of it's own - well, what else would you expect? The show opens in the land of day  which exists in front of a very effective multimedia screen. These opening scenes are fun and interesting enough. However, as night falls we enter the far more intriguing land of shadows. Things here are more monotone and cooler but - as all children have been told in this kind of adventure - danger lurks in the shadows. Behind the same multimedia screen, something is afoot as a shady, malevolent presence attempts to kidnap the girl's shadow in the night. It is here that the best dance and use of visuals happen. Size and shape are easily manipulated and the audience needs no more than simple silhouettes to really feel involved with the story. Back in the real world - or as real as anything is in a Fringe show - a sinister looking man in a bowler hat, with mischief and misdoings on his mind (I think I've just described an ex boyfriend) appears on the scene. The rest of the show follows the exploits of the nefarious be-hatted man in his shadow kingdom and the attempts of our heroine to rescue her shadow self. Ironically, some of the dance sequences are not their strongest scenes with the heroine perhaps needing better characterisation and movements being quite repetetive at times. but what happens behind the screen makes up for it in abundance. Charmingly combining shadow dance and animation , Malasombra creates a perfect fairytale atmosphere. The villain does steal the show - in the best way - with his elongated fingers (and arms at one point) and malign, creepy presence. He is the stuff of nightmares (no, that was my ex) and mirrors that dark place within our imaginations. A beautifully crafted piece of theatre. Go and explore your darker side.