The Gummy Bears’ Great War
★★★★☆ A lot to chew on
C alto (Venue 40): Wed 31 Jul – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Hugh Simpson
The Gummy Bears’ Great War at C alto is the kind of thing you traditionally expect to see at the Fringe; a seemingly crazy idea that actually works convincingly.
Written and directed by Angelo Trofa and presented by Sardinia-based Batisfera, it is a miniature tale of hopeless endeavour and existential despair, as the nation of the Gummy Bears declares war on the nation of the Dinosaurs. Small, squidgy, gelatine-based sweets can never prevail against the might of huge (albeit plastic) reptiles, but the various flavours of bear are marching to their destruction.
Valentina Fadda. Pic: Sabina Murru.
The title is not remotely misleading; the protagonists are actual gummy bears, manipulated on a table top in semi-darkness by two performers.
The acting space at C alto studio is small and the audience is limited to 30. The performance is conducted in Italian, with subtitles projected on to the table below the acting area.
This does cause some problems; the words are not that clearly visible from all parts of the audience, and there is a lot of reading to get through. The speaking comes largely from a splendidly solemn voiceover by Tino Petilli, although the puppeteers Valentina Fadda and Leonardo Tomasi do speak when playing functionaries in the Dinosaur government.
surprisingly bleak
The amount of reading does make the show’s recommendation of 12+ appropriate, as anyone younger might struggle to keep up with the subtitles.
There are other reasons why, despite how it may appear, this is definitely not a show for younger kids. It is surprisingly bleak, and its message about the horror and futility of war pulls no punches.
Illuminated by reading lights, lamps or lighting bars, the bears are given an unexpected degree of character by Fadda and Tomasi. The segments set in the dinosaur nation, with their broad-brush satire of government bureaucracy, are less effective.
However, Trofa’s script is otherwise spot on, and the care taken in the production is mirrored by Luca Carta’s technical supervision. For such a short and small-scale show, this has a huge impact.
Running time: 35 minutes (no interval)
C alto (studio), Quakers Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, above Victoria St, EH1 2JL (Venue 40)
Wednesday 31 July – Sunday 25 August 2024
Daily (not 13) at 6.20pm & 7.20pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
Website: www.gummybearswar.com/
Facebook: @batisfera.teatro
Instagram: @batisfera
Valentina Fadda and Leonardo Tomasi. Pic: Sabina Murru.
ENDS
