Mr Kolpert

C soco
4-30 August, 12.15

Ralf and Sarah are bored twenty-somethings having a dinner party for
friends whom they clearly do not like. To pass the time Ralf invents a
story about having a dead body – the eponymous Mr Kolpert – in a trunk
in the middle of the living room. As the play progresses it becomes
increasingly unclear to all involved as to whether Ralf’s story is an
invention or not.

First staged in Britain by the Royal Court in
2000, David Gieselmann’s play remains delightfully macabre and
compelling. A mixture of popular culture and dark fantasy Mr Kolpert
constantly keeps its audience guessing as it weaves together its
collection of truth and invention. As a statement on the desire for
risk and heightened experience it still packs some punch.

There’s
a blandness to Ralf and Sarah’s world which Daniel Raggett and Mikey
Theodosiou’s production, with its Ikea furniture and unbroken white
walls, captures perfectly. Against this the increasing threat of
violence streaks the show, with just the right amount of horrible
laughter generated. There’s nothing showy about the direction but it’s
an understated response that serves the play well.

Within Mr Kolpert,
however, the cast are competent rather than spectacular. Hannah Barry,
as the mildly neurotic and downtrodden Edith, injects some spark into
the production, firmly grasping the opportunities presented to her by
Gieselmann’s script. Elsewhere however, it’s the script, rather than
the actors, that are doing the hard work.

– Corinne Furness

The above review is republished from Fest,
the essential on-the-ground magazine for festivalgoers, which
Whatsonstage.com has teamed up with for the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe. For
more Fest reviews, visit www.festmag.co.uk.