Theatre review: Strawberry Sauce, C Aquila (Venue 21), Edinburgh

JOE has committed a murder, and though admittedly there is no victim, and it was done with a plastic gun, his fate still lies in the hands of the jury – and very eclectic group of misfits they are, too. This is a children’s story gone very astray.
By HANNAH CLARK
Published 11th Aug 2012, 19:47 BST

Strawberry Sauce

C aquila (Venue 21)

Star rating: * * *

Led by a precocious child desperate for the attention of her uncle, no matter what the cost, Joe is forced to explain his reasons for such a heinous, non-existent crime. And for the next 40 minutes, things become even odder with lawyers dressed as clowns, police cells made out of toy building bricks, and drinking games in court.

The production is at its strongest when fully embracing its farcical side, as its overactive imagination grows increasingly weird. It’s original and genuinely baffling but that does not detract from the skill of a very harmonised cast who each bring a different eccentricity to proceedings.

Hide Ad

Maintaining a breakneck pace and an enviable amount of energy means that the show gets a little carried away with its own whimsy and employs a few cheap laughs along the way, but that can be forgiven. Strawberry Sauce is gloriously silly, and although the production is slightly too crowded, it provides a solid dose of mad chaos.

• Until today, 2:30pm.