A Lot of Nerve

Cabaret in a world of its own

Source: The List
Date: 10 August 2009
Written by: Kelly Apter

This article is from 2009.

A Lot of Nerve

Cabaret in a world of its own

Picture the scene – you and your friends have had a bit too much to drink, you shimmy over to the stereo, pick out a choice tune and turn your living room into a bespoke cabaret joint. Great fun, but when morning comes, you’re well aware that nobody, other than another drunk person, found your movement, meanderings and melodies remotely funny or entertaining.

Well, somewhere along the line, duo Martha & Arthur forgot to do that last bit – and decided instead to make a career out it. A Lot Of Nerve is an utterly bizarre melange of reasonable dancing, poor vocals, insane costumes, lip-synching and entirely random text. There are no apparent links holding the material together, other than an overarching disregard for the audience.

Who is this for? And why aren’t Martha & Arthur using their dancing ability in a more accessible, crowd-pleasing way? A Lot Of Nerve? To charge for this, yes, I rather think they have.

Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 31 Aug (not 17, 24), 10.50pm, £7.50–£8.50 (£6.50–£7.50).

This article is from 2009.

Comments

1. CG – 13 Aug 2009, 4:14pm A Lot of Nerve Report: A bizarre review. The night I went the audience loved it and friends have said the same about other nights. OK it's not populist in the way that Apter may go for but this is a rare opportunity at the festival to see some of the most innovative and exciting experimental theatre around that is also good old fashioned entertainment. This is what the fringe is meant to be about, isn't it? Time Out were right when they made it Critics' Choice. Go see!!

2. daisy – 13 Aug 2009, 6:52pm Report: I came across this review whilst searching for the show details to pass onto my friends. I've just got back from Edinburgh and it was absolutely the best thing I saw; really accomplished, funny and an excellent night out. Can't believe the reviewer saw the same show - don't be put off!

3. A Floyd – 15 Aug 2009, 3:07pm A Lot of Nerve Report: Fabulous show, full of humour, depth, darkness and high-quality, accessible dance.

4. L Grime and M Still – 15 Aug 2009, 5:44pm Report: The reviewer has succeeded in succinctly expressing the feelings of bewilderment and horror we experienced whilst enduring 'Martha and Arthur: A lot of Nerve'. Like watching a video of yourself drunkenly dancing, but worse, Martha and Arthur excel at converting a unique form of mental diarrhoea into an 'artform'. Admittedly the audience of 5 struggled to diffuse the horrible tension created by Martha, and more particularly, Arthur's, suggestive use of targeted eye contact and painfully embarrassing dance routines. However, A Lot of Nerve redeemed itself by providing hours of subsequent comedy gold: picture a sweat-drenched man clumsily pirouetting with his trousers round his ankles and a paper bag over his frightening face, and you see what we mean. Not to be missed if you can see it for free.

5. L Grime and M Still – 15 Aug 2009, 5:48pm Report: P.S Martha and Arthur must surely suffer from a rampant form of mental disease, or are on drugs at the very least.

RSS feed of these comments