In the shadow of Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna, and by the beautiful coast of the Ionian Sea, the Catania Fringe has, perhaps, one of the most glamorous locations for a Fringe Festival. Don’t get too enamoured, however, as, in typical fringe fashion, the basement of a hotel has been transformed into a fringe venue packed with a busy Sicilian crowd waiting for
A fresh and quirky vibe throughout the show
In this fifty-minute show, the trio of Ukrainian characters take their turn bursting onto the stage. The collective of physical performers are Kateryna Spodoneiko, Pavlo Vyshnevskyi, and Oleksandr Symonenko, Ukrainian performers currently based in Rotterdam.
News opens with Pavlo taking out today’s newspaper and attempting to read it through a pantomime of physical theatre. He is shortly joined by Kateryna and Oleksandr, and the three characters twist and turn, laughing and crying throughout this non-verbal production.
There’s some traditional clowning along with more innovative moments as they perform complex choreography sequences involving nothing more than a stool and, of course, a newspaper. Several short scenes merge into one another throughout the opening thirty minutes of the performance, enabling all three performers to showcase both their individual styles and their group performances.
The performance takes a more intriguing turn in the last fifteen minutes. Up until this point, there appeared to be little narrative beyond three separate characters wanting to read the newspaper. However, in the last fifteen minutes, as the characters fight and argue over who keeps the newspaper, the show takes a darker turn, where characters both become the news and wrap the news around their mouths and faces.
Knowing that the performers were from Ukraine gave these final scenes a sharper taste and pulled together the show's narrative threads. Are we making our own decisions, or is the news impacting these decisions? What begins as three individuals reading weather reports, looking at comics, and all the other trivial parts of a newspaper ends with the news ultimately controlling their decisions and thoughts.
It’s a powerful message to end the show, mainly when it started with what seemed to be a simple mime. This compelling show is particularly relevant in recent times and works well as an international show. Which country doesn’t have issues with dealing with truth in the media? News is a perfect example of fringe theatre from a company that is certainly one to watch. There was a fresh and quirky vibe throughout the show, which was well crafted, directed, and performed.
