ARTIFICE till 16 August

Edinburgh Fringe

ARTIFICE

Modern Theatre of Budapest at Augustine's. To 16 August
12.30pm Runs 1hr 20min

TICKETS: 0131 225 6576
Review: Timothy Ramsden 6 August

Edinburgh's Fringe gives a valuable opportunity for interesting, if not perfect, pieces like this to have a showing.
This is a curious piece, but a more successful multi-media mix than some you can find. Lewis is a reporter for a new videophone news channel. Stationed in Budapest he seems to be spending much of his time trying to make a fistful of dollars by dealing in antiques.

From this premise, the play networks a fabrication of deceits that knows little end (who exactly are Modern Theatre of Budapest?). Lewis fakes stories he sends his Editor, whose own promises of payment to come aren't worth the ether they're transmitted through.

Even the London collector Catherine Winsloe, apparent dupe of the antiqueers, isn't what she seems. Trying to find furniture to match an heirloom, on the one hand price is no object, on the other she's on a research grant that's running out. And she's finally found to be deep into the plotting.

It's the local dealer Sasha, himself an ethnic mix, who seems initially most fake, yet seems genuinely to prefer selling real stuff. But an intriguing interplay of live and video sections suggests that, in human society, it's only the camera that doesn't lie. Yes, it can be made deceive, but truth's revealed sometimes inconsequentially, sometimes with plot significance, when humans fail to operate a dodgy on/off button.

As a suspense story, Artifice works well enough to convince while you're watching. As a meditation on truth and media it makes several interesting points. The performances are certainly strong enough to carry the piece along and the screen footage has a fitting improvised feel.

Cast and credits not available.

2003-08-13 09:50:47