Dutch Elm Conservatoire in Prison
Show type: Edinburgh Fringe 2006
Following last year's runaway success, when they scooped a
Perrier Award nomination, Dutch Elm Conservatoire return to the
Fringe for the third year running with a brand new show
Prison
This time, the five-strong team of writer-performers faces
life behind bars: on Detention Facility 41 or The Island - a
mysterious, idiosyncratic prison containing a wide range of the
bad, the ugly and the misunderstood.under the benign dictatorship
of Dieter, their apathetic Governor
Comedians
Reviews
Original Review:
Review
No ifs, no buts this is a wonderful piece of work and sets
the example for other sketch groups to follow. Five comic actors
play a number of roles without cartoon gurning or tedious hyperactivity.
It's pacy, well written and with some great songs. There are
splendid throwaway lines and excellent wordplay, but none of
it is strained or forced, and importantly, no groaners.
They loosely peg the show on the prison drama genre, with
a nod to many films and to my mind more than passing acquaintance
with Chicago. It's great to watch, physically very fluid,
good use of lighting, with economical costume changes and a couple
of wigs used to good effect because they're not overdone. There
are some wonderful bits of silliness, but at no time does the
piece break its own logic.
With such skilled ensemble work it is difficult single out
individual characters, but the world's most mild-mannered, hangdog
rapper, Furious P will live in my mind's eye for a while yet
along side Prisoner Wendell and his pet butterfly. I didn't want
this to end, I'd happily see a double length show from the Dutch
Elm Conservatoire
Julia Chamberlain
continue
Older Comments
M - 28/08/2006
No structure; no jokes; no songs - in short no good. More like Dutch Elm Disease
Andy - 19/08/2006
The show had its moments but was, for the most part, pretty average (which seems to be the norm for teatime Fringe shows). Julian Barratt might well have been at a London preview, but having seen The Boosh at The Pleasance a few years ago, I'd say that Dutch Elm are light years away from that sort of quality.
Grommitt - 19/08/2006
It was utter bilge and amateurish. Don't believe the hype
Martin - 30/07/2006
A genuinely funny, silly, and quoteable show from the five disgustingly talented Dutch Elm lads. If anything, even better than last year's fantastic show. And I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly sure both Harry Shearer and Julian Barratt were sat in front of me chuckling away at their London previews - you can't get a better recommendation than that.