The Red Emerald: A Farce for the Colourblind
An hour-long farce set in a crumbling old stereotype
Herr Falkenstein is broke. Desperately broke. All he has left in the world after his bitter divorce is his maid, his cat and a 12,000-acre estate.
But he’s going to re-establish himself as a millionaire by stealing the most precious gem known to man: The Red Emerald. Due to the fact that no-one can quite decide whether the stone is green or red, it has become a priceless artefact, with scientists and bored philosophers willing to pay anything for it.
With the help of his maid Chloe, Herr Falkenstein hatches a plan to steal the emerald on the night of his grand party. But they’re not the only ones who could do with a billion-pound gemstone…
Reginald Fire, renowned idiot and pyrophobe, is also attending the party and has high hopes for his new website: catsthatlooklikeputin.org. However, his attempts to become a dotcom millionaire have been somewhat hampered by his decision to make the website not for profit, and so he has decided to turn to Herr Falkenstein to ask for some of his now non-existent wealth.
Also present is Lara Crufts, the wife of Reginald, but not for long. She has been having a secret affair with Chloe the maid, and she plans tonight to elope with her beloved, and she has banned her husband from even mentioning their marriage.
The discovery of the emerald throws all these carefully-laid plans into chaos. What follows is an evening of lies, misunderstandings and cats.
The Red Emerald is a brand-new spin on the genre, blending elements of fast-paced witty comedy with original slapstick farce. It was devised and written by Olly Jackson, the creator of last year’s A Sketchy History, which enjoyed sell-out shows in Oxford, Warwick, London and at EdFringe 2016.
Time/Date: 12:10pm, 14th-19th August; 5:50pm, 21st-26th August
Venue: theSpace@Niddry St (Venue 9), EH1 1TH
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/red-emerald-a-farce-for-the-colourblind
