Two girls dressed in leopard print belong in what must be the most boring world possible and for one whole hour let us in on how they pass the time. It began with some audience interaction to get us in the mood for being bored, as onlookers are randomly selected to read messages on cards in a monotone voice. Then there is the most agonising couple of minutes as the cast demonstrate how to sit in silence while we patiently wait for something interesting to take place. This is followed by a slide show of baked food and then other activities such as watching a hole-punch for a full minute. So it goes on and if nothing else you'll learn just how long one minute can feel.
Before I go further I should say that it is impressive as much as it is bizarre. Both performers deliver strong, deadpan performances that make us wince and nervously giggle as they bounce off each other in an off the cuff and naturalistic manner. They are, without a doubt, remarkably talented. It is also simultaneously tortuous and engrossing; transfixing us in hope that something will eventually happen. The script at certain points will make you giggle or question how you might deal with boredom, but here the advantages is seeing Boredom end because at times it really is uncomfortable.
Unfortunately this shows lives up to its title to the extent you want to scream. It covers nothing of particular interest and only allows you to share the experience of being bored with others. By the end you'll most certainly have had enough because it's not just the portrayed activities that are dull but their constant repetition, and the painfully slow build-up. It is hard to follow the show’s objective because when we're bored it's usually because we're doing something that we don't want to do. If, like these two characters, we chose to do something like watching paint dry then we wouldn't think of it as boring. So although this play does have an interesting concept and illustrates how diverse and niche the Edinburgh Fringe can be, we shouldn't really find Boredom this boring.
