Scotsman

Arriving at a punchy 30 minutes long, Deeper Underground is a quickly consumed, quirky physical comedy that I strongly urge punters at the Pleasance Dome to conclude their evenings with. Little more than four strangers on a train, thoughts relayed by pop music and voiceover, their entrapment on London's Tube will strike a horrible discord with anyone who's ever been on public transport, hot, frustrated and pondering the murder of fellow passengers.

With scant props and the occasional voices of the driver and engineer, the young cast of Just Press Play - who also wrote, produced and directed - give confident, carefully nuanced performances where the slightest twitch of a mouth triggers fantasy sequences and waking nightmares reminiscent of Scrubs and Ally McBeal, before it became self-parody. Moreover, for something so utterly throwaway it's beautifully choreographed and paced to perfection - the tension in the carriage rising higher and higher with the mercury, the audience physically sharing the eventual release.

It's an ensemble piece, but Jay Kerry stands out as Briefcase by more than his height, drawing you in with bulging eyeballs and eliciting gasps during a Matrix spoof - he's that good. As the dreadlocked Headphones, Lois Tucker is a strong support, Maria Thomas is sweet as endangered tourist Backpack, whilst, as the nicotine-deprived Orange Face, Carol Roache convincingly conveys a woman minding the gap of a nervous breakdown.

A true Fringe experience, Deeper Underground is simple, undemanding fun.

Tuesday 19th August 2003
Jay Richardson * * * *