Adam Riches: Jimmy, Summerhall ★★★
Adam Riches has long been famed as a performer who throws himself into his physical comedy – so much so that during the Fringe run of a previous comedy show he broke his leg. And now, with this one-man play he is on stage in tennis whites, running around and slamming down imaginary balls to a percussive soundtrack as he tells the story of Jimmy Connors, the self-proclaimed world's greatest tennis player.
It's a fascinating story that even some keen tennis fans might not know. Connors retired at the age of 43, playing on well past his best days. But during his lengthy career he helped change the sport, using a metal racquet, and the way it was played, by taking the ball early and playing a double-handed backhand.
The story is set at the US Open in 1991, long past Connors' prime, when the American (then 39) had one last stab at greatness but was eventually thwarted in the semi-final.
Along the way we hear about the two powerful women in Connors' life, his grandmother and his mother, who was his first coach, and how they shaped both his personality and his playing style.
We hear a lot about his anger, but little to explain it, where it came from or the effect – good or ill – it had on his career. Was the anger channelled into his game, as with one of his great rivals, John McEnroe? Or was it internalised to his personal detriment? Either way, his behaviour, often described as brattish, divided the fans; Connors was a real Marmite player for most of his career.
But it's good to be reminded of a great athlete and in Tom Parry's production Riches gives a brash, energetic performance, rather like the man himself.
TERF, Assembly Rooms ★★
If this play matched the wealth of pre-Fringe publicity it attracted, it would be very good indeed. But sadly it turns out to be all hype and little substance.
Joshua Kaplan imagines a meeting between JK Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter universe, and Daniel, Rupert and Emma – the three child actors who became rich and famous through starring in the film franchise. They want the meeting to discuss their differing views, or her “transphobic bullshit” as one says.
What follows is a torpid 80 minutes where few ideas or emotions are explored, and the actors speak stilted dialogue at each other, which is filled with recrimination rather than any exchange of ideas.
The characterisation of the principals is, at best, sketchy. So Rowling is condescending and her generosity dismissed as a controlling device. (In fact the author famously doesn't appear on media lists of UK billionaires because she gives huge sums to charity.)
Daniel (Piers MacKenzie) is a prickly man-child, while Emma (Trelawney Kean) is a prissy activist who speaks in slogans. The only vaguely sympathetic character here is Rupert (Tom Longmire), portrayed as a simple soul who can't quite believe his good fortune.
The acting doesn't pass muster either, but then when the cast have to utter meaningless lines such as “Fame is a disability”, one really can't blame them. The issues aren't debated and we're left none the wiser. What a lost opportunity.
