"I don't fall in love, I tumble"
I can't remember another production on the Fringe so unique, entertaining or perfectly formed.
Tumbling After is a modern day love story and commentary on the ways we stumble in and out of relationships. It is a very funny, scarily clever and piercingly accurate piece of physical theatre - enjoyable and performed by a flawlessly skilled cast.
Set in two houses, side by side, the piece begins with two drunken one night stands and maps their bleary transformation in and out of two relationships. It is a very real reflection of the tangled, messy ways we negotiate love today. The show is a physical beast, carefully constructed and intelligently formed. It looks fluid and effortless, though I believe in the bruises that cover the performers' bodies; they never stop working. Elizabeth Mary Williams' choreography pinballs between dynamic bursts of play, sizzling sexiness and beautiful echoes of heartbreak. We are constantly entertained, not only by the comedy of the piece but the impressive movement sequences too.
The blend between non-naturalistic, stylised movement and incredibly real conversations or monologues is wonderfully managed. The physical theatre is used as an additional narrative tool to better tell the story, rather than a gimmick, and is fully incorporated into the script. These are not only highly capable physical performers, but talented actors too. We meet the characters as themselves and they include the audience as people who are sharing the same space as them. We feel part of the story without being put on the spot. It is open and unaffected storytelling. Kate Goodfellow, in particular, has wonderfully direct and truthful delivery.
Despite the subject matter, Tumbling After avoids gender stereotyping or any typical, insensitive generalisations. Indeed, it manages to avoid any accidental awkwardness at all; even the sex scenes are funnier and more entertaining than they are sexy so we feel completely comfortable. The set, like every other aspect of this production, is perfectly intelligent in its simplicity. Everything has been ingeniously considered and I can't remember another production on the Fringe so unique, entertaining or perfectly formed.
