Theatre Review: Gilgamesh & Me, Paradise in Augustines
Gilgamesh & Me, Paradise in Augustines, Edinburgh ***
There’s just no stopping him, this symbol of drinking, fighting virility, and no woman in his city of Uruk is safe. So the gods make Enkidu, a wild man to match his strength and appetites, and when the two fail to beat one another to a pulp, they fall into a doe-eyed bromance. The only problem is that this throws Ishtar, goddess of love, into a frenzy of jealousy, and that has serious consequences.
This is brought vividly and irreverently to life by the young cast of Babolin Theatre Company, from Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge, with few props other than a length of brown paper – which serves as puppet material, cuneiform tablets and a beautiful bull’s head.The 12 performers throw themselves into Richard Fredman’s witty rhyming script, mixing physical theatre, fine singing and a generous helping of humour. And one of the oldest human stories gets a bright, energetic dusting off for a new generation.SUSAN MANSFIELD
Until 10 August