DANCE & PHYSICAL THEATRE
Blue Is My Colour
THE ZOO (VENUE 12.4)

BLACK & BLUE'S Fringe debut is far too short. Which sounds like a criticism, but is actually a compliment. Blue Is My Colour centres on Peter, a bored office worker whose life it turned upside down when his lover drowns off the Florida coast. Sprink1ing the dead man's ashes into the sea, Peter tries to take his own life, but a local mermaid has other p1ans for him. Short but sweet, the story is conveyed through text, physical theatre and some nifty aerial work on ropes and a swing. A backdrop of projections and the live original score add to the dream-like feel, as does the poetic text. But writer/performers Lisa Sugden and James Stevenson could so easily have stretched this touching work further. The quickfire opening, filled with office banter about the previous night's outing, introduces Sugden and Stevenson as very capable performers. As does their aerial work. Why this wasn't taken further is a mystery - one which hopefully they'll solve next year.

Kelly Apter
5:15pm today. Until 23 August

The Scotsman Friday 8th August 2003