Written by Susan Lee
This story of Johannes Brahms in mid to late career was a delightful Fringe experience for this new- to-classical-music-lover, enjoyed in close proximity to 20 or so others which is a full house at the Bakehouse Theatre.
Do not be perturbed by flaking black paint and knee pressing intimacy; these actors are the real thing, each playing multiple roles throughout the 1-hour show and doing so with aplomb. Getting the basics right is not always assured at Fringe, but it goes a long way when you've seen shows prepared with less care for the profession: mastery of lines, projection,(yes! you can actually hear them), good use of space, entrances and exits, quality costumes and minimal but pragmatic stage production.
Great sound - not always easy mixing voice, instruments, and small hard-edged spaces. Storytelling and characterisation were the strongest elements.
I couldn't take my eyes off Ahram Min who remained on stage the entire time and didn't say a word, expressing only through her violin, giving as much through small facial nuances as long passages of verbalage.
"Say too much, signify too little" is Brahms' view (played by physically apt Nicholas Collett co-founder of Third party and stints in Royal Shakespeare Co,) responds to the sheer volume of musical work produced at the time, just 'musical masturbation' and to complete less, better and be satisfied is Brahms own approach.
This play gives insight into the composer, his creative values, technical insight for those of us music lovers curious about what exactly makes a great composition, and his driving need to create - perhaps to avoid trauma from a childhood of poverty and survival in leery surroundings, as much as it is about the friendships that make the art-making process possible.
We can't all be creative geniuses, and while Heinrich, the loyal but talentless friend played by Neil Savage envies Brahms for his gifts, Brahms envies Heinrich for being able to live a good life without the suffering. The period is set at a time when the rising European middle class could afford to buy pianos and also sees the rise of the critic, played beautifully in a short exchange showing how little has changed and the role made for and by critics between wider audiences and the artists themselves, profiteering by those least invested - a sharp satirical counterpoint in the play.
We need our artists to delve into darkness sometimes to unearth things of beauty and truth, and we need art lovers to support them on their way in and out of hell. We maybe need critics to write about it to decide if we shall partake.
4 out of 5 stars
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