A review of Ginzel’s Little Cordoba: A Double Bill, Fringe 2023

I think it’s worth doing something you might not otherwise do during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I mean in terms of arts and entertainment, of course.

In my case, it was a trip to see Ginzel’s Little Cordoba: A Double Bill. I enjoyed it, still am not sure what a Spanish city has to do with anything in the plays. I would repeat the experiment next year but won’t update this theatre style into an every-month bracket.

Ginzel’s Little Cordoba is one of those plays (or double bill) where you get to feel clever by acknowledging they’re being smart. They are being clever; three actors, two mainly in consistent roles, with the third being everyone else. How often do you see the work of a Korean/Irish playwright?

What to expect

A cosy performance which leaves the stage as the two leads gallop around and if only briefly, wind their way through the audience’s seats.

The action kicks off straight away, don’t expect an introduction and instead, ready yourself for a brief battle featuring a giant pair of scissors that might not look out of place in an anime I’d review on an ER sister site.

Giant scissors kid (called Cutter) befriends another likely lad and travels to London together. Hijinks ensue and with receptions. Who knew there might be criminal masterminds in the capital city?

London and the adventure there is primarily brought to life, in terms of props, with three crates. The NPCs are a towel, a pipe and a walking stick.

In the next play, and the lighting change will clue you to the switch, we’re still in London and with two more friends.

I wondered what connected the two shorts. It’s male friendship, but I thought about the plague for a while. The Black Death is the first, and perhaps Meta’s Instagram or social media is the second.

Vibe and Performance

Talented actors are an absolute delight, and that’s what we have with this double bill. If these three haven’t yet been on TV, I suspect it’s just a matter of time.

The performance feels true Fringe festival to me. It’s boxes and props in a room, the audience is select but interested, and no purple cow is running an overpriced bar at the back of the room.

It’s a strong performance in the face of a sparse and quiet audience. The problem is, on paper, there are many alternatives. It’s a reviewer’s job to say that Ginzel’s Little Cordoba is one of the good ones. But Ginzel’s Little Cordoba is still high theatre on a budget.

Overall

I thought I would be disappointed; I thought it would be an awkwardly long hour-ish of middle-class AmDram. As it stands now, my primary disappointment is that the actors aren’t named on Ginzel’s Little Cordoba Ed Fringe page.

Don’t bring the kids. Ginzel’s Little Cordoba is for people with a taste in theatre or who have an attention span long enough to develop one (so clearly yours truly was taxed).

I enjoyed it, but that was my “let’s try this style of theatre” itch scratched for the year. If it tips your decision, this is a world premier.