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Fiona Mountford's rating
Edinburgh Fringe - The Girl in the Yellow Dress is well-presented
By
Fiona Mountford
12 Aug 2010
On the Edinburgh Fringe, as in life, those creating the greatest commotion often get all the attention. In the annual August mayhem, the risk is that subtle dramas, such as this one from South African writer Craig Higginson, sink without trace. In fact, this gripping two-hander is a highlight of the Traverse programme.
Higginson packs a lot in, under the seemingly innocuous dramatic guise of a young English woman giving language lessons to a French-Congolese student in contemporary Paris. From the moment Pierre (Nat Ramabulana) first sets foot in the pristine white apartment of Celia (Marianne Oldham), undercurrents of sexual, racial and cultural tension start to eddy about. What assumptions, asks Higginson, do we automatically make on the basis of people’s provenance, or way of expressing themselves? Even if we speak a language perfectly, can we be sure to say exactly what we mean?
Two compelling performances keep the action focused in Malcolm Purkey’s poised production. Ramabulana’s Pierre combines bounce with edge, confounding our expectations as well as his teacher’s. Oldham presents the troubled Celia as a quivering bundle of neuroses hiding inexpertly under a too-thin layer of education and family money. It often seems as if the rules of English grammar, barked out like a self-help mantra gone crazy, are the only certainties underpinning Celia’s existence. Yet language, as Higginson points out, is a very slippery creature.
Until August 29. Information: 0131 228 1404, traverse.co.uk
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
