Bane is Joe Bone, and Joe Bone is the sole actor in the Bane Trilogy, with plot twists, time lapses and a memory-testing 79 characters. Since the first Bane's debut in 2009, rave reviews and recognition have been won for the show and its actor, and two more episodes of the captivating crime saga have evolved. All the Bane Trilogy performances featured in this year's Brighton Fringe, and I caught the stand-alone middle show, Bane 2.
Drawing on Film Noir clichés and a rich history of American gangster pulp, Bane is the fable of a comic-book hit-man with a heart. As he relentlessly despatches with camp lovelorn Russian mob bosses, hapless neighbours and the odd baboon, Bane 2 is fundamentally a very funny play about friendship. As a vehicle for Bone's theatrical skills, it's perfect, and few modern actors could pull off such depth of emotion whilst maintaining a gritty humour and flitting between characters, generating all the organic sound effects that make the play so believable and absorbing.
The soundtrack is provided by guitarist Ben Roe, adding atmosphere, suspense and dramatic pause. The timing is impeccable and complementary, and a lot of practice must go into making the performance so smooth.
It's a shame that the trilogy wasn't spread out over the festival. Brilliant as he is, more than one show in one evening must be mentally tiring for the audience, and medically exhausting for Bone if he maintained the energy he displayed in Bane 2.
Bane's the anti-hero of the Fringe, and Bone's the most lively, focused and committed actor I've seen in a long time.
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