This August, a gregarious group of Brussels-based amateur actors are going international and taking a new play to the world's largest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Fringe.
The troupe, known as the Cross-Gartered Players, are bringing a new show called 'Yellow' to the Scottish capital from 11 to 23 August. Excited to get started, they speak to The Brussels Times about what's in store.
'Yellow' was first performed in the Belgian capital in 2022 as part of the Brussels Shakespeare Society (BSS) Summer Festival. It then took to the stage for a second time at the 2023 Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies in Bad Homburg, Germany. This summer, it will be one of around 3,000 shows on offer at the Fringe.
The witty and thought-provoking play was written during the pandemic by Geoffrey Mamdani, former speechwriter to EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and renowned thespian on the amateur dramatics’ scene in Brussels. A finance lawyer by training and a Shakespeare buff who has appeared in many of the BSS' shows over the years, Mamdani was influenced by both by the Bard's 'Twelfth Night' and his own experience working in a law firm when writing 'Yellow'.
'Yellow' introduces us to Mal, inspired by Malvolio, one of Shakespeare’s best-loathed and "horribly treated" characters – and "transposes his fall from grace into a modern political setting", a press release states.
Mal was previously an advisor to a cabinet minister, but now defends fraudsters in a "skulduggery shyster law firm". An idealistic young female lawyer joins the firm and offers him a way back to his old life. "But in a world where the highest ideals are sustained by the grubbiest actions, what looks like redemption might be a trap."
L-R: Yorgos Filippakis (Mal), Neale McDonald (Ben, 11-17 August), Ilona Hendrix (Trixie). Credit: @juliocesargarza_
A modern twist on a centuries-old play
In true Brussels fashion, the international cast and crew come from eight different countries – despite the play itself being "very British," says Heli Pärna, a stand-up comedian from Estonia. Their characters are "composites" Mamdani has met and worked for.
The play stars Peter Wilding as the law firm partner and charming father figure, Tony Merchant, who "likes taking the piss out of the legal system and saving fraudsters." Wilding knows "more than most about unintended consequences in politics", being credited by the Oxford English Dictionary as the inventor – "to his lasting regret" – of the word Brexit.
While some of the Cross-Gartered Players are well-versed in the workings of the Fringe (Pärna spent the summer of 2024 performing her show there, and production manager Cath Howdle has done over 20 shows at the festival), for most it is their first time. Janet Middleton from the UK says that "at 67, I realised that, having never had it on my bucket list, performing at the Fringe is absolutely top of it."
Neale McDonald, also an EU and Competition lawyer, has "seen the ups and downs of law firm life first-hand" and says the play is "relatable". He is splitting his role, Ben, with Aravind Dhakshinamoorthy over the 13-day run. Hailing from Ayrshire, McDonald has been to Edinburgh many times, but this will be his first time performing at the Fringe. "There's a certain novelty factor to that," he tells The Brussels Times. "It's inspiring to see that people from the [Brussels theatre] community can reach the heights of having their works performed in places like the Fringe."
L-R: Ilona Hendrix (Trixie), Aravind Dhakshinamoorthy (Ben, 18-23 August), Peter Wilding (Tony), Heli Pärna (Rosie), Yorgos Filippakis (Mal). Credit: @juliocesargarza_
Mamdani is also delighted to return to the Fringe as a director, having first performed there as a student 30 years ago. "There's such a sense of excitement of people from all different places and different backgrounds coming together who love theatre and performing," he says. "You can see half a dozen shows in a day and get totally different experiences. Being part of that and putting our thing forward is really exciting."
The director assures that audience members don't need to know 'Twelfth Night' to enjoy and understand 'Yellow'. "It's a whole story in itself. If you know your Shakespeare, you'll spot a lot of little Easter eggs in the names of the characters and the names of the law firms. But it takes the Shakespeare story as a jumping-off point – it's not really a retelling of the story."
Yorgos Filippakis, who plays Mal, adds that the modern twist might even pique people's interest in Shakespeare. "Often people think – especially those who are not from the English-speaking world – that Shakespeare is too difficult and has nothing to do with the modern world or modern situations, so this could be a nice step for some people to develop an interest," he says.
Can't wait for August? ‘Yellow’ will be performed in Brussels at the Warehouse Studio Theatre from 3 to 5 July, and in Edinburgh from 11 to 23 August. Find more information here. To contribute to the group’s Crowdfunder and support the costs of the show, see here.
