one4review | On 23, Aug 2015

This felt like a student, rather than professional, production, which is what it is. It’s in the guide as comedy, but this is very much comic theatre: a farcical play (the play is in the genre of farce, not that the production is a farce) about a murder at a Vatican Conclave.

The text of the play itself is solid enough, with a good story, interesting twist on a classic concept and a good eye for comic potential. It was let down slightly by phases of weak dialogue, but mostly by the acting and the staging.

I felt that given a dark room and some sound effects, this would have been brilliant as a radio play. The ubiquity of the cardinal’s outfits didn’t help in distinguishing between different characters played by the same cast member, despite the addition of accessories. While the whole cast’s vocal projection was good, the accents weren’t quite confident or consistent enough in order to truly suspend belief, and I missed some lines in the delivery. The simple staging was fine, but not used effectively or creatively enough to add anything to the whole effect.

Although overall this felt like actors-still-in-training, it was an energetic and entertaining romp.

Reviewed by Laura

Sweet Grassmarket, 15:15 (until 23rd)