Devil in the Detail

 Six x 4* Reviews at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2011

The Stage, Edinburgh
http://ed.thestage.co.uk/reviews/1354

Loosely based on Victorian one-act play Box and Cox, Devil in the Detail is a canny tale of two saps, an accountant and a night watchman, whose avaricious landlady is renting them the same room. The gimmick is that this is all performed silently, with the actors in big, alluring cartoon-like masks. However, far from hiding the emotions of the characters, it allows the actors to focus on the physical presentation. And it makes the silliness of the plot much easier to take, as Jack Read's devious landlady with her extravagant daughter (Sarah Thom) rearrange the bedroom morning and night. There is plenty of funny business to be had as they wait for each tenant to leave, taking a polaroid each time and turning the pictures round. There is a bigger picture, too. Alan Riley's accountant works for the mob and skims money off every drug deal he oversees. While James Greaves as the dim night watchman has a secret pet under the bed who could well turn round and bite them all. Director, Toby Wilsher, who is also writer and creator of the masks, has constructed something which is a lot more complex and satisfying than it first looks.

Review by Thom Dibdin
Published online at 09:13 on Friday 19 August 2011

Zoo Venues interviews James Greaves
http://zoovenues.tumblr.com/#/8969446620

£2 million embezzled, a snake loose, a rent scam, three murders and a suicide.
Devil in the Detail is 80 minutes of pure farcical entertainment with a nasty sting in its tail. Underpinned by crazy Balkan beats and performed entirely in Wilsher’s trademark mask style. With praise from ThreeWeeks **** (“Spendidly eerie”) and WhatsOnStage **** (“a show that the whole family will enjoy”), Devil In The Detail is a hot ticket.  MetaMorpho is the new company from acclaimed director Wilsher. His work has been seen in 31 countries, with three shows currently in repertoire with the State Theatres of Turkey.

We spoke to James Greaves from the company about the origins of the show and his 2011 Fringe experience:

Describe your show in three words:
Fast Masked Farce

Where did inspiration for the show come from?
That’s a tricky one. Trestle theatre company had the same artistic core for 20 years, led by Artistic Director Toby Wiltsher. In 2004 there was a change in direction, as the company began to work without masks and control was passed to Emily Gray. Since then Toby has been working in the UK and internationally on mask based projects. The inspiration for Devil in the Detail was drawn from this work, and is Toby’s brain child.
Devil in the Detail is the result of collaboration between myself, Alan Riley and Toby. Together we’ve allowed the show to evolve, reforming and re-writing it during the process, so its very much a living piece.

What do the cast get up to when not performing/flyering?
Three of the cast are in other shows, so they spend a lot of their time bouncing between performance spaces. We try to make things as easy as possible for Sarah though, who is 5 months pregnant. Outside of that we’re trying to see some other Fringe shows, but I’ve only managed 2 so far. A combination of healthy eating and fine beer has been a big part of my fringe so far as well.

Why masks?
The choice to use masks stems back to the origins of Trestle, and our time with the company. Mask work is what we’re passionate about. Not only do we love performing using them, they are also beautiful and fascinating objects in themselves.

What’s your fringe highlight so far?
Ad Infinitum’s Translunar Paradise has been a real highlight, a simple story which has been beautifully conceived on the stage. Just returning to the Fringe after a 10 year break has been lovely in itself, although I’d forgotten that when walking through Edinburgh one seems to be forever going uphill. On the plus side, I have lost some weight and I’m even considering taking on Arthur’s Seat.

What would be your 3 festival survival tips?
• Begin the day with Ibuprofen and Vitamin C
• Be 20 years younger than me!
• Have a sense of humour, sometimes you just have to laugh.
From Monday to Sunday Devil In The Detail are offering 2 for 1 tickets for anyone who quotes the password ‘Intrigue’ at a ZOO Venues box office.
MetaMorpho is an associate company at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.

Posted on 16 August 2011

British Theatre Guide
http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/otherresources/fringe/fringe11-34.htm#D
****
Devil in the Detail, written and directed by Toby Wilsher, the co-founder of Trestle Theatre, is loosely based on the play Box and Cox. It's a splendid black comedy about greed and deceit played by actors in beautifully created full masks that perfectly capture the characters of the actors. In a seedy run-down part of town a devious landlady and her vivacious daughter rent out a room to two men at the same time. One works days and the other nights. The men must be kept apart and the rooms are refurbished twice a day. One of them is swindling his boss from the money he earns in drug dealing that he hides in an air vent. The other keeps a pet rattlesnake in a tank under his bed feeding it mice.
At first all goes well and the hilarious way the men were kept apart was reminiscent of a Brian Rix farce, with superb comic timing and impressive comic invention. However disaster strikes when the two men finally meet and what follows is a maelstrom of manic riotous tomfoolery. It includes poisoning, shootings, snakebites, and attempted suicide - truly farcical and tremendously funny. This is an exhilarating roller coaster ride of a comedy that should certainly be on your must-see list.

Robin Strapp
August 2011

Three Weeks
http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/?s=devil+in+the+detail

How can you tell a complex, funny and weird story without words? Mime, of course! In a splendidly eerie and Balkan-esque play, all actors wear grotesque cartoonish masks and wigs. A mother and daughter rent out one room to two people – who don’t know of each other. Yet. The scene is set with the first line of the first song: “My baby came down from Romania, she was the queen of Transylvania.” Gypsy music and clumsy body movement, light gestures and meaningful shoulder shrugs – the adorable, intentionally tasteless setting of the stage guides us through this mimetic theatre of gangsters, money and rattlesnakes. This is one show that proves the devil really is in the assiduously assembled details.

tw rating 4/5
Tuesday August 16th, 2011 12:18

Counter Culture
http://countercultureuk.com/2011/08/11/devil-in-the-detail/

WHAT on earth is going on here? That was my reaction when this play opened. This was a puppet show, for goodness sake. I don’t like puppets, except maybe Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds when I was a child. However, any initial bafflement melted away as things began to make sense. Devil in the Detail has live actors in huge masks, a bit like the Tweenies, but this story is not for children. There is no dialogue. Changes of mood. Changes of pace. All the performances are led by the musical soundtrack. The action unfolds like an old Brian Rix Whitehall farce - as adapted by Quentin Tarantino or the Coen Brothers, with opening and closing doors and characters just missing one-another. Two tenants, a crooked accountant who is skimming money off a sexy gangster and a dozy night security man, both rent the same flat from a dodgy landlady and her shopaholic daughter. Neither one knows about the other. It’s great knockabout stuff. Look out for a runaway snake, a barking dog, murder and mayhem in this riot of fun.

Reviewed by David Kerr
**** Four Stars
August 11, 2011 at 10:38 am

What’s on Stage?
http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/edinburgh/E8831312799191/

MetaMorpho are an unusual theatre company in that they blend a range of theatrical techniques that includes masks, puppets and Balkan music to create a form of theatre that is part farce, part pantomime - and the overall effect is very entertaining. The setting for this strong narrative is a shabby house which is let by a fraudulent live-in landlady who is renting the same room twice. One lodger is a dim-witted night watchman and the other is a swindling accountant, and they’re both attempting to cover the trail of their own duplicity. Add to this already potent mix of deceit a drugs gang on a revenge mission and you have the manic, at moments riotous, piece of drama that is Devil in the Detail. It is not only the hectic plot that makes this show so dynamic: surprisingly, it is the inanimate masks that add to the vibrancy of this play. Despite their fixed appearance, these vivid masks are so well crafted that you are able to sympathise with the characters. This is particularly commendable as the characters do not speak throughout the play, and yet you are able to experience their moments of sorrow and joy. Whether you enjoy the farcical comedy or admire the wonderfully expressive masks, this is a show that the whole family will enjoy.

- Charlotte Pegram

Date Reviewed: 8 August 2011
WOS Rating:

Edinburgh Spotlight
http://www.edinburghspotlight.com/2011/08/fringe-review-devil-in-the-detail

The programme from ‘Devil in the Detail’ describes theatre company MetaMorpho’s brief as being “to create new work that appeals to a broad audience using all the tools that 21st Century theatre can offer.” And with this production they succeed admirably.
The action is set in a shabby boarding house populated by a crooked accountant, a simple-minded security guard, an unscrupulous landlady and her greedy daughter. With no dialogue, the performers use masks, puppets, music and mime to create a fast-paced farce that feels much shorter than its eighty minute running time. It turns out delight is also to be found in the detail here, as it is obvious that great attention has been paid to every aspect of the performance and staging. From the peeling, discoloured woodchip and the pictures hung slightly askew to the “NO PET’S ALOUD” sign, the set perfectly captures the feel of a seedy, transient lodging. The music plays a central role too, and in the absence of dialogue helps define mood and character. The Balkan beats in particular suit the frenetic action sequences wonderfully well. With no lines and inanimate masks, the actors also use their body language extremely effectively in creating their characters. This is MetaMorpho’s first show, and it is a genuine treat. Indeed, if this debut is anything to go by, they look set to become a Fringe fixture for some time to come.

Review by Julie Dawson
August 2011