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Ruthless People: Ruthless - Arches Lane Theatre

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What is it about the Madoff’s that writers can’t resist writing about? Sure, it may have been the largest Ponzi scheme to collapse (so far), but there isn’t much more to explore. Or is there? In Ruthless by writer Roger Steinmann, Ruth Madoff is imagined as a wronged, gun-toting woman anchored in the past while trying to move on with her life. It’s not entirely successful but a fascinating look at life and wig choices, It’s currently playing at the theatre now known as the Arches Lane Theatre in Battersea. Ruth Madoff, played by Emily Swain, is here wearing a wig. I thought it was an odd look until I reviewed how closely it matched the photo of her interview in  The New York Times .  Typically, it’s the sort of wig you might see worn by Ladies on a night out in central London, not someone who once had over $80m in assets. With Bernie in Jail and both her sons now dead - one by suicide and one due to cancer, she is setting a table for the men who have left her. And ordering p...

Fluffing it: Rouge @Underbellyfest

It's not enough for a circus act nowadays to offer a series of acrobatic feats. Nowadays, they are pushing all sorts of conventions. There's the all-male, the all-female, the all minimalist. Rouge is the all gender fluid pan-sexual circus for grown-ups who like a bit of everything. But only if that everything includes a little bit of nudity and a bit of mild titillation. 

The men wear eyeliner, the pairings are male-female, male-male and female-female.  Strong female types abound throughout. It's a unique concept that's marred by its own timidity. It's currently playing at the Underbelly Festival on the Southbank.

The performers are interesting enough. There's the aerial trapeze, the ring, and the strap. All are deftly executed. There's a terrific flame swallowing routine which seems all the more intense in the confines of the Spiegeltent.

An inventive sequence happens where the performer is wearing a lampshade and combines hula hoops with a frantic strip dance with electric lights. Full of frenetic energy and timing, it's a feat of electrics and anxiety. 

And then there's a dominatrix sequence with a whip, carrot dildo and pony sex slaves. Having seen Cate Blanchett earlier this year lube up with a strap on at the National Theatre, it seemed slightly anticlimactic. 

But despite some great individual performances, something is amiss in the show. The comedy misfires and the production values are poor. Performers were mostly flatly lit. There was much  pointless strobe lighting. And the soundtrack accompanying the piece could have been lifted from commercial radio. If you're going to hold the undivided attention of an audience (so they don't keep wanting to head to the bar), the show needs to shock and amaze on every level. Hopefully, their next outing is more unconventional. 


Rouge is at the Underbelly Festival on the Southbank until 15 September. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️


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