It’s difficult to "review"Empire of Feathers, in that it’s exactly what you go to Fringe to see: aggressively experiemental work that pushes the boundaries of theatre and of conventional thinking.
Although it starts out with the actors talking to the audience, once the action starts, the play has a relatively linear narrative. Of course, advancing that narrative involves projecting images on the ceiling and behind the audience, the use of old toys and found objects, and some pretty catchy songs, and other performance tricks.
The tone? Think Dr. Suess crossed with Howard Zinn. It’s not for children, but they do a commendable job balancing the subject matter with the tone.Maybe they take the twist too far at the end…but you’d have to see it for yourself to make up your own mind about that.
My prediction for this show: it may or may not win any Festival prizes, but it will one of the most talked about of the Festival.