The latest Brighton Festival and Fringe reviews from Team ThreeWeeks. Look out for more ThreeWeeks reviews here in the eDaily and every morning in The Argus each day in May. Hurrah.

A Guide To ThreeWeeks Ratings:
1/5 - somewhere around about God-darn awful, though possibly it's so bad it's good.
2/5 - just not any good really, sorry.
3/5 - good for what it is - if you like this genre, probably worth a try
4/5 - now, this is what we are talking about, a fine example of this genre
5/5 - oh Lord, so damn good, whatever the genre, go see this show if you can

CHILDREN'S SHOWS

Flabbergast
Children's entertainment just aint what it used to be and that's because it's got better. Swizzleshaker and The Splott Brothers are two examples of just how fantastically innovative the genre has become and both ensured that 'Flabbergast', formally known as The Pussycat Club, provided top-notch fun for all the family. Swizzleshaker captivated the young audience with energetic sketches based around cinema's 'golden oldies', featuring hilarious characters and beautiful costumes. The Splott Brothers were a more slapstick affair, achieving a great many laughs due to exaggerated facial expressions as well as a range of crowd-pleasing magic tricks and jolly songs played on the most kitsch organ known to man, finished with its own palm tree. Both acts were intelligently crafted and engaging, just the ticket if you are seeking a unique way to enjoy the Fringe with children.
The Parlure Spiegeltent, 5, 10, 24, 25, 26 May, 3:00pm (5:00pm), £5.00, fringe pp29.
tw rating 4/5
[jh]

COMEDY

Abando'man: A Hip Hop Comedy (comedy, seen 8 May)
Rob Broderick
With the energy and enthusiasm of a Saturday morning kids TV presenter, Rob Broderick managed to charm the intimate crowd at the unlikely venue of West Street's Heist. By interacting with his audience, and with help from Duncan, his guitar wielding sidekick, Rob improvises rap songs based on his conversations with audience members, creating what he calls his very own 'Folkhopera'. His banter with the crowd added a personal touch, and with the mere mention of MySpace sending a group of teenage girls into fits of giggles, Rob certainly knew how to cater for his viewers. There were only a few of what could have been awkward moments where Rob appeared stuck for words, but even those were well played out with improvised jokes and animated chat. All together a pleasant show, combining music and comedy with talented ease.
Heist, 3-26 May (not 19), 8:05pm, Free, Fringe pp15.
tw rating 3/5
[ap]

MUSIC

Tom Tom Club
Strut & Fret with Udderbelly Productions
Fitter than fiddles, quicker than whippets and bursting at the (very toned) seams with talent, you simply won't know what's hit you after an hour of power with the superb 'Tom Tom Club'. The seven-strong Australian collective comprises four acrobats, a DJ, human beat-boxer and drummer, all of whom are individually gifted and together create an utterly thrilling edge-of-the-seat experience. This is truly innovative circus performed by a bunch of charming dare-devils who are clearly having a great time, evident from the humour that underpins the show. Highlights included beat-boxing whilst break-dancing and the insane human see-saw contraption, which results in dazzling, back-flipping action. It was no surprise when the show ended with a standing ovation as the 'Tom Tom Club' have clearly got something very, very special.
Udderbelly, 2 – 25 May (not 19), times vary, prices vary, fringe pp39.
tw rating 5/5
[jh]

Drookit Dogs
Hot diggity Drookit Dogs! This Brighton-based band certainly know how to put on a mighty tight show and have an energy about them more infectious than TB. Packing the Prince Albert to the rafters, the audience were treated to a deliciously unique post-punk sound, all pounding drums and skank-inducing riffs, and a good old-fashioned stomp. Captivating the crowd from start to finish, the Dogs crafted an atmosphere of wild abandon and special mention must go to Matt Oldfield for his intensely captivating, rasping vocals; the man has a voice that could lead a revolution. This was the confident, self-assured performance of an explosive band set for a glittering future and a reminder of just how bountiful Brighton's local scene is; truly first-class Fringe.
Prince Albert, 9 May, 8:30pm (12:00pm), £3.00, fringe pp33.
tw rating 5/5
[jh]

A Cappella Sensation
deciBelle
At first glance the brightly attired ladies grouped around the microphones perhaps resembled a hen party about to murder some karaoke; once they broke into their first number, though, it became clear these were pros. deciBelle were a spirited yet well-disciplined group, with tight musical arrangement that made use of the large number of diverse voices. Alongside well-known hits like 'Sweet Dreams', there was country singing from Shreeve 'n' Shaw and comedy songs from The Cocktail Party, including a delightful song about neighbour envy written by the group's singer/guitarist. decibelle's version of Basement Jaxx's 'Good Luck' was probably the highlight, with well-simulated guitar sounds, of what was a well-planned evening of songs from a large group of lively and talented performers.
Hare & Hounds, 10 May, 8:00pm (10:30pm), £6.00 (£5.00), fringe pp32.
tw rating 3/5
[se]

THEATRE & MUSICALS

Woody Sez
Cossette Productions with Paul Lucas Productions
Telling the story of Texas born folk musician Woody Guthrie, this fantastic, dynamic piece of work ranges from moments of great celebration to great sadness. The players of the piece seamlessly interweave narrative, sketch and song with irrepressible exuberance, effortlessly exchanging instruments. Each seems, as Woody sez of one, "to play everything but golf". David Lutken, who bares a fair resemblance to Woody Guthrie, is excellent as the songwriter but by no means steals the show. His three fellow performers take on a variety of characters from Woody's life with great success and the standard of musicianship is tremendous across the board. A real triumph, the show has all the storytelling emphasis of traditional folk with vibrant, passionate music to boot.
Brighton Unitarian Church, 10 – 14 May, times vary, £8.50 (£7.00), fringe pp47.
tw rating 5/5
[jg]

Total
Old Police Cells Museum
This is a totally unique, beguiling and cutting edge piece of theatre, with all aspects of the production carefully considered, from its staging in the atmospheric Old Police Cells museum, to the casting of four female actors and the use of lighting. Four voices, conversing in semi-darkness, are seeking a resolution. Responding to and supporting each other, the voices rise and fall like waves, their rhythmical flow carrying us forward. The writer Ed Harris has created a mystique around his new piece, with none of the supporting literature signposting the meaning of the play. I will not deliberate on it here, but leave it to the performers to unmask the story, should you ever have the chance to see this show. What I can confirm is that an abundance of talent is behind 'Total', and is an experience that will resonate beyond the cellar walls, beyond the Fringe and beyond the present. That's worth seeing, no? 
Old Police Cells Museum, 6 - 10 May, times vary, £7.00 (£5.00), Fringe pp46.
tw rating 4/5
[sla]

Durang Durang
EFP
A variety of dysfunctional relationships are explored through seven slightly surreal short plays in 'Durang Durang'. Whether the scene is the lonely room of a single woman resorting to chat-line phone calls, a popular psychology infused update of a Greek tragedy or the imminent collapse of a divorced couple's reconciliation, the sense of modern desperation is the same. Focusing on the darker sides of American culture, the centre of the plays always lie in the exposure of their characters' hidden obsessions. Although Durang has been described as "one of the funniest playwrights alive" by The New Yorker, I struggled to find anything to make me laugh. Instead, it was the strong acting which saved an otherwise curiously vacuous show.
Udder Place, 10 -11 May, 6:00pm, £12.00 (£10.00), fringe pp41.
tw rating 3/5
[jn]

Reviewed in the ThreeWeeks eDaily tomorrow...
Bite-Size 'Soiree', Womb Man/ Whacker Murphy's Bad Buzz, The Moops, Robin Ince, The Great American Songbook, Open Wide, Caroline Nin, Around The World On 80 Quid. Some of these reviews will appear first in tomorrow's Argus.

ThreeWeeks Reviewers Guide...
Sarah Agnew [sla], Steve Bromley [sb], Kate Charles [kc], Seth Ewin [se], Sean Farrance-White [sfw], Joel Gunter [jg], Jess Hookway [jh], Jessica Nero [jn], Laura Oliver [lo], Clearhos Papanicolaou [cp], Anna Pearce [ap], Richard Tatnall [rt].

ThreeWeeks is the flagship media at the Edinburgh and Brighton Festivals. Its mission is to provide as comprehensive coverage as is humanly possible of both these festivals, in particular reviewing those shows not getting media coverage elsewhere.

We launched ThreeWeeks in Edinburgh in 1996 because at that time the Edinburgh Festival was growingly hugely each year, but at the same time media coverage was, if anything, decreasing. That meant that many strands at the Festival - and especially the new, alternative and grassroots performers and companies which, as far as we could see, were what made the Edinburgh Festival so exciting in the first place - were not getting the coverage they deserved. From year one ThreeWeeks aimed to cover as many aspects of the Festival as possible, from the big names at the big venues through to the real grass roots shows not covered elsewhere. Over a decade later we continue to operate to that ethos, getting even closer to achieving it by reviewing over 1500 shows each Edinburgh Festival - nearly all of them - and hundreds more than our closest competitors.

Since 2006 we have applied the same ethos in our coverage of the Brighton Festival. This year we will have over 25 student reviewers seeing shows. You can read their reviews via this eDaily, our website and through a daily column in The Argus. We also offer a bucket load of previews and interviews on and with some of our favourite shows and performers, on our website, and via our free ThreeWeeks Guide to the Brighton Festival, available all over Brighton from 6 May.

ThreeWeeks is owned, published and loved by UnLimited Media, a Shoreditch based media and marketing company. It is edited by Chris Cooke and Caro Moses, who also run UnLimited Media. UnLimited doesn't make much money out of the ThreeWeeks enterprise, we do it because we get a buzz in discovering and championing cultural innovation, and the best places we've found to do that are Edinburgh in August and Brighton in May.

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