Bedtime Stories have a quick glance at this year’s Fringe brochure and you will undoubtedly see a theme – sex. It’s everywhere this year, from the tawdry outings of XXX at the Pleasance to speed dating at the C Venues, but it seems that very few people are selling it as well as Les Enfants Terribles.
Hot from last year’s tour de force (The Germinator - a Hairline Highlight Winner) this wonderful company, under the expert guidance of writer/director Oliver Lansley, has returned with another surefire hit – Bedtime Stories.
Set in those often-uncomfortable moments before sleep, Bedtime Stories tells the tales of four young couples and their attitudes and preconceptions towards sex through a series of monologues. Pitching in a mixture of stereotypes, from the FHM-reading twenty something guy to the chocolate guzzling pre-menstrual girl, Lansley’s clever script covers the gamut of emotions and attitudes towards sex in an intelligent, though occasionally puerile manner.
Besides being an immaculately written piece, Bedtime Stories is a real showcase for the Enfants, and allows the entire ensemble to shine in their own right. It is an absolute joy to watch, though the fourth act hits like a hammer after the joviality of its predecessors.
Definitely one of this year’s ‘must sees’ and, to be frank, Les Enfants Terribles and Oliver Lansley deserve every award going. Our only worry is that this wonderful show will catapult them to stardom and that we won’t be able to see them next year.
5/5
Richard Biggs
