Trade It: Bristol streets

Wednesday 25th June 2008

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Crackerjack rating: 8 / 10.

The Show Of Strength company has always had a wonderful knack of putting the most unpromising of venues to good use. They have shown great innovation in amongst others a pub, the room above the old registry office and a proper theatre.

It's typical of co-producers Sheila Hannon and Gill Loates to come up with the fascinating idea of presenting these ten individual scenes which deal with injustices that can be laid at the door of the city of Bristol in promenade form.

Head of the list of injustices are the slave trade, tobacco and sugar closely followed by the exploitation of individuals and present day unfair trading practices.

Catherine Johnson and Sandi Toksvig came up with two fascinating views of the other side of the coin with the heartfelt pain of a son defending his late father who was a racist through ignorance rather than desire and a very funny duel between an ill informed council employee and an educated black man on the real meaning of some offensive words.

Not every one of the five venues chosen for the first half of the evening, which took us from Christmas Steps, via roof top terraces, to Pithay and on to Castle Green added greatly to the subjects on offer. The second half presented in different areas of the grounds of Temple Church gave director Robin Belfield a chance to increase the pace & build to a powerful final attack on big business.

The eight-strong cast produced a wonderful array of characters mixing power with pathos and biting humour.

It's a fair old promenade but well worth the effort to see theatre with a difference which has a great deal to say for itself.

Gerry Parker

This is a Crackerjack review of . Do you agree? Rate and review this .