EDINBURGH: THE FROG PRINCE TIL 26th August

THE FROG PRINCE
By David Mamet
78th Street Theatre Lab

Assembley Theatre to 26th August
11.30 am

1 h. No interval.

TICKETS 0131 226 2428.

Review Danny Braverman 15 August

An unexpected treat from the normally intense playwright David Mamet
David Mamet's play The Frog Prince defies categorisation. It's not really a children's show - although kids will enjoy its exuberance. It's not just a political satire - as it betrays a tender heart and thoughtful central emotional journey. Although it uses a fairytale to explore the process of growing in maturity, it's more than a dramatised treatise on psychology. What makes this an extraordinary piece of writing is that it does all these things simultaneously.

First and foremost the show's entertaining, particularly in the hands of this accomplished New York company. Toby Wherry plays the eponymous anti-hero with tremendous verve. The moment of metamorphosis is a particular theatrical treat and his physicalisation of the frog, complete with superb croaking, is hugely amusing. He's ably supported by Jonathan Uffelman as Bill the Serving Man and Karen Michelle Wright as both the Peasant and the Milkmaid.

Director Eric Nightengale has drawn performances from his company that cope skillfully with the play's demanding range of dynamics, particularly the way that Mamet's language oscillates between mock grandeur and clipped street talk.

At times the play almost seems like an intellectual game - what would happen if David Mamet did a fairy story? And then you get taken unawares and surprised by how moved you are by this amphibian's need to find an expression of love.

Serving Man - Jonathan Uffelman
Prince - Toby Wherry
Peasant/Milkmaid - Karen Michelle Wright

Director - Eric Nightengale
Lighting Design - Ji-Youn Chang
Costume Design - Moira Shaughnessy
Sound Design - Eric Nightengale

2002-08-16 19:46:12