EDINBURGH 2011: BWW Reviews: GRISLY TALES FROM TUMBLEWATER, Pleasance Courtyard, Aug 13 2011

Ed Jaspers performs in a solo storytelling piece about a young orphaned man who arrives in the strange, rainy and sinister town of Tumblewater, intent on finding his long lost sister and facing up to the dangerous landowner Caspian Prye. Based on the novel by Bruno Vincent which was longlisted for the Waterstone's Prize, the show tells the tale of a town of people who tell each other grisly, gruesome tales to distract themselves from the tough times they are facing, and the mysterious Victorian town at the heart of it.

The show as a whole is beautifully engaging. The story itself is the perfect combination of surreal, gruesome and strangely lovely, balanced enough to keep children interested while still keeping adults entertained. Jaspers gives an energetic, enthusiastic and skilled performance as a range of diverse and sometimes bizarre characters, and also provides the slightly dark songs to accompany the story in the form of a mandolin and vocals. The minimal props and space are used creatively and help to conjur up the range of weird and wonderful locations within Tumblewater.

An example of skilled, one-man storytelling, and a great show whether you have children to take with you or not.