one4review | On 20, Aug 2024

Plotters tells the story of four eccentric criminals around the turn of the 19th Century who have a very specialised and specific vocation – bodysnatching. The subject seems an appropriate one for Edinburgh, where fear of body snatching was once at an all time high, as often mentioned in the many ghost tours around the city.

The play tells a relatively simple heist story, elegantly told by its cast through physical theatre as they mime breaking into tombs and carting away corpses. This is the latest production from Twilight Theatre Company and is actually premiering at the Fringe, though it has a distinctly classical tone and an absurdist bent that’s positively Beckett-ian. While the story is simple, it’s not always the easiest to follow as the dialogue is linguistically dense and lyrical, delivered at a speed that doesn’t always give space for the many jokes that zip past you as scenes run from one to the other. Brian Parks’ writing is certainly deeply intelligent, and his characters likeable and larger than life, but unfortunately his love for the lexicographically loquacious leaves almost all his characters sounding like that one comedy professor character you might find clutching his pince-nez and trembling during an action movie, which made them rather hard to distinguish.

The show is described as “fast-paced” in its flyers and I’d certainly agree, though the speed of talking, especially at the beginning of our performance felt more like a deliberate choice from actors who really knew they had somewhere else to be, rather than just a quirk of the writing. In fact, the show finished ten minutes short of the full hour which I think is a Fringe first for me. But I wouldn’t describe the show as feeling rushed as much as it is trim. Scenes have been cut down to the bare minimum, leaving what’s left sharper and more focussed. Overall, an enjoyable and highly polished production – just make sure you’re ready to pay attention.

****
reviewed by Tom
Assembly Rooms – Front Room
14.10 (1hr)
Until 25th Aug