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EDINBURGH 2010: BWW Reviews: TWO BROTHERS AND ONE WORLD CUP (Underbelly)

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Michael Billington complained recently about sport never inspiring great theatre. Two Brothers and One World Cup, entertaining as it was, demonstrated why sport in theatre is so rare - because the high emotion and drama of a live sporting event simply cannot be conveyed on stage (or on film) by actors. Narration is necessary to set the scene for those people who might not remember the event; those who do remember the event find themselves cringing at this emotional experience being distilled into mere words and acted out - and more than that, their own perceptions of the way it happened may not tally up with the writer's anyway.

That said, this is a cleverly crafted piece about sibling rivalry to a backdrop of football tournaments and the songs they inspired. There's even a touch of audience participation as the onlookers choose which tournament the brothers should tell them about next. You don't even have to like football to see this play - though I'd recommend that it helps.

 

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