Sammy Blew Up A Toilet
★★★☆☆ Comical
The Space @ Venue 45 (Venue 45): Mon 19 – Fri 23 Aug 2024
Review by Eilidh Sim
Sammy Blew Up A Toilet from The Crunch Collective is playing The Space @ Venue 45 for the final week of the Fringe.
Set in a primary school, it tells of best friends Azza and Jake, and the events that follow when the pair forced forced to befriend Sammy, a teacher’s pet. The growing hatred between Azza and Sammy, causes Azza to devise a plan for revenge.
A scene from Sammy Blew Up A Toilet. Pic: Crunch Collective.
This light-hearted play with a cast of 13 was written by Aric Hanscomb-Ryrie, with music by James Ingle, Arlo Jeffery, Craig Jeffery, and Alex Hunter.
Director Aydan Macdonald uses the staging effectively, despite minimal scenery – comprising one toilet, with blankets and chairs brought on throughout the show to create different scenes.
Azza, played by Aric Hanscomb-Ryrie, gets the emotion in his character well, capturing the unpredictability of childhood, through his varied portrayal of Azza’s feelings throughout the play.
Zander Mistry is convincing as Sammy, successfully bringing the comic side of his character to the fore. He is an engage actor, drawing you into the story and setting out the theme of acceptance which runs throughout the play.
middle ground
Jake, played by an inspiring Ronan Maccolla, provides the middle ground between these two feuding characters. Stuck in the middle, Maccolla brings enough emotion to his character to provide a contrast with the other two.
Carmen Calle, is a cheerful teacher, Mrs. Anderson, once again bringing out he comic side of her character as she tries to stay positive while having to deal with the arguing pair, Azza and Sammy.
Classmates Otis, Lucas, Isla, and Archie, are impressively played by Arisha Kuzmina, Dan Webb, Josh Macfarlane, Indrid Heron, and Zoë Maunder. They provide an insight into the relationships between characters
The choreography has been thoughtfully created, bringing a sense of childlike wonder to the whole performance.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
The Space @ Venue 45 (Space), a63 Jeffrey Street, EH1 1DH (Venue 45)
Monday 19 – Friday 23 August 2024
Daily: 9.45pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
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ENDS
