(2) "Milton! Let Thy Song Soar"
Guthrie Productions
Old Adelaide Inn
Tues 20 March
until Sat 31 March


David Guthrie Burns' dramatic articulation of the first two books of Milton's immortal epic poem 'Paradise Lost' likely won't be winning much praise from largely non-existing audiences, but if there were some objective, absolute measure of quality by which Fringe productions could be ordered from worst to best, 'Milton! Let Thy Song Soar' would easily take the lead.

Burns' may seem to have a vast head start with his choice of material. 'Paradise Lost', concerning the Jewish and Christian account of the fall of man, is considered among the greatest works of English literature. But Burns doesn't simply rely on the (admittedly infinite) credibility of his source material. Here he takes the second of its twelve books and attempts not merely to recite it or act it out dramatically, but to do both while infusing the mental voice and direction of the original author. He does this expressly but without altering a word of the original, and the effect is intriguing.

Even without this, however, his expression of the text is utterly compelling, brimming with all the extremes of the universe and beyond. But perhaps most admirably, Burns has managed to make the monstrously dense work comprehensible to virtually anyone. He progresses through the text carefully and with clarity in mind, and pauses between the speeches of characters so that the audience can clearly perceive the joints of the script. Most importantly, he knows exactly when to impose his formidable dramatic force and when to ease it. The brilliance with which he works the drama and emotion is such that even in the text's many difficult to follow parts the audience remains wholly attentive and is still able to get a vague idea of what is going on.

So if you're tired of the tired, obsolete-before-they-were-even-made observations of the Fringe's horde of stand-ups, and craving something profound and enduring, seeing this is an absolute necessity.

William McGinley