Flesh & Bone

★★★★
theatre review (adelaide) | Read in About 1 minute
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115270 original
Published 18 Feb 2018
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121329 original

A smash-hit in Edinburgh, this rollicking cringe comedy gives the audience a visceral shove into an East London council estate. Flesh & Bone is high energy, lyrical theatre that keeps it down-to-earth with both depth and vulnerability. 

The cohesive cast of diverse characters are treated humanely with problematic stereotypes set upon and swiftly dismantled. Kelly is trying to make a buck from her vocal talent, Jamal looks after his mum as best he can, and Granddad is a sentimental geezer. The lads Reiss and Terry just want to have a pint and be themselves, despite all their macho posturing.

Cinematic sequences and tight choreography give Flesh & Bone a propulsive energy. With fighting and fucking and a little politics in between. This is topical and populist theatre to shame any contemporary Shakespeare production. Gritty, funny and in-your-face, Flesh & Bone is a standout theatre pick of the Fringe.