6 – 30 Aug (not 17, 24) 1725 (1840) @ Assembly George Street
By Danielle Farrow
Rapid-fire wit, word play and very individual definitions, character-swap interrogations and disarming song fill this sparkling hour to the brim in Imperial Fizz. Through diverse cocktails and their merits, diverse past incidents and their demerits, a couple explore their relationship while some unmentionable threat looms over their insouciant repartee.
Issy van Randwyck, convincingly American here, and David Calvitto serve up a production that is imperial in their commanding performances and fizzy in their effervescent energy – particularly hers. But after the heady fumes of fancy drinks have cleared, what was the point? A certain disillusionment is left at the end of this play. Yes, there is a thread of some deeper thought within this intoxicatingly flirtatious production, but it is not a satisfying one in its rather obvious playout.
The fresh perspectives and clever ideas of this highball are all in the bantering, argumentative interaction and delightfully delivered one-liners – a little finesse added to the plot would raise this Imperial Fizz to equal that perfect martini in which the protagonists revel.
Tags: Edinburgh Fringe, review, threestars
