Summerhall: Dissection Room

Aug 1 – Aug 24

£5.00-£11.00

5.20pm

“Any form of intellectual or mental insight or anything which resembles cohesion is quite

unintentional,” so reads the disclaimer on the projection screen which serves as a backdrop to

this slice of absurdist chaos. Imagine what a piece of theatre would look like if David Lynch

and David Byrne met in a pub then used a Ouija board to channel the spirit of Samuel Beckett

and Cabaret Voltaire. Klip is a movement-based, theatre piece of BIG, disparate ideas and in

the true spirit of Theatre of the Absurd there is no clear narrative. At one point, a grown man

irons himself and then tries to persuade the iron to come with him for a walk. Leeks are used

as weapons of assault. Colanders are worn hat-like on heads. A leg of ham is suspended

from the ceiling. A soliloquy is performed on the topic of, “What goes on in a chicken’s

head?” A man is suspended upside down from a harness and stays silently hanging there, as

the audience leave the venue.

Through all the chaos, there appears to be an underlying message conveyed about the

fragmentation of society. In one segment, a man croons a moving ditty over a cacophony

of arguing voices and you can’t help but feel that on some level, there is a nod being made

towards current global conflict versus the smokescreen of light-entertainment shows such as

The Voice and how they are used to distance and pacify us. Intellectual insight achieved.

Company director, Pete Livingstone’s original music is excellent, as is his voice and

soundtracks many a moment of playful madness through the course of proceedings.

Performed by a lesser theatre company, this show might have descended into ‘Legs Akimbo’

style Cringe Fringe, but Livingstone’s Kabinet execute it all with great style and conviction.

As you might have surmised by now, this show is not to be recommended to anyone other

than the seasoned theatre enthusiast and lover of all things wonky, quirky and oddball. It’s

shows like this however, that are the beating heart of the Edinburgh Fringe and embody the

variety-filled spirit of it all. Its 5 stars are richly deserved.FIVE STARS

Reviewer: Gill Monaghan