COMEDY PREVIEW . Craig Charles And His Band
An evenin of music, comedy and poetry wit the star of Red Dwarf
’We love coming to the Festival; we always have a blow out,’ declares the Scouse Mouth, who is back with his ’fucking brilliant band'. A regular visitor to the Festival, Charles is moving away from stand-up this year and will be taking an ’an autobiographical journey through my life in song, comedy and serious poetry'. A brave step for a man who has seen as many bad times as Charles but he guarantees that ’the words Will be quite strong’. And the music? 'Difficult to say what we sound like really, we’ve been compared to Oasis, David Gray and Cat Stevens, but we're better,’ he laughs in that inimitable
l
chortle. With a packed post- , Festival TV diary, this ‘9' show is
52 THE usr m —24 Aug 2000
obviously a labour of love: ’You never go to Edinburgh hoping to make money, all the theatres take about 60% so it's difficult.’ Catch this personal testimony while you can. (Paul Dale)
Craig Charles And His Band (Fringe) Craig Charles, Pleasance Over The Road (Venue 33) 556 6550, 20—23 Aug, 70.40pm, £72. 50 (£70.50).
DANCE/PHYSICAL THEATRE PREVIEW Bertrand's Toys
Terrifying Russians make their dancrng debut
blackSKYwhite are making their Fringe and UK debut with Bertrand’s Toys, a non-narrative piece said to be ripe with a monstrous magic. This underground Russian theatre troupe comes to us armed with either recommendations from, or comparisons to, previous Eastern European troupes that have found big success in Edinburgh: Derevo,
Do/Fabrik (back in town with last year’s
hit Hopeless Games) and Teatro Buiro Podrozy. Like them, blackSKYwhite plumb depths of feeling via dark, poetic imagery.
’lf slogans are needed,’ boasts artistic director Dimitri Ariupin, ’our most common are "the most frightening theatre company in Moscow” or "Russian folk-hallucination".’
Joining forces in 1988 with actors Marcella Soltan and Andrej lvashnev, Ariupin has produced seven plays to date. With titles like Decay Into Body, Warmth and USSR Was Here, the trio’s likely artistic watchwords are nightmarish absurdity and, with luck, a deep-dyed, grotesque beauty. Let the Slavic haunting begin . . .
(Donald Hutera)
a Bertrand’s Toys (Fringe) blackSkywh/te, Rocket@$outh Bridge Resource Centre (Venue 723) 558 9997, 77—79 Aug,
7 7.30pm, 27—26 Aug, 8.30pm, £7 (£5.50).
Bertrand's Toys are not kids stuff
IOIHVII 10m-Iate theatre comedy dance music books
What better way to unwrnd after ' hectic festival-gonng than to sit back
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Soprano Gillian Keith numbers among the talent at ROSL House MUSIC PREVIEW ROSL Arts round up
Reclaimed building plays host to days of music
Once a venue for everything from student theatre to kids puppet shows,
the Royal Overseas League has reclaimed its elegant Princes Street
building for itself. More in keeping with the genteel decorum of its all
year round members, the League is presenting some of the prizewinners
from its own Annual Music Competition. ‘Apart from being a platform for
the winners, it also allows audiences to hear some of the very finest up and coming young musicians,’ says administrator Jo Towler.
'For instance,’ says Towler, 'there's ‘cellist Alice Neary, who’s really making a name for herself. Or the Canadian soprano, Gillian Keith, who's just won the Kathleen
Ferrier Award.’ Held each year since 1952, the Competition regularly provides one-off recital opportunities through the Music with a View series, but this is the first time there has been a dedicated Festival event. With titles such as Midnight Feast or Brahms And Liszt At Midnight, it is not only a thirst for music which will be satisfied. ’In true League style,’ says Towler, ‘food and drinks are available after all the concerts.’ Perhaps something stronger than hot chocolate will be required for the latter mentioned, but no doubt the League can provide for that too. (Carol Main) g ROSL Arts (Fringe) Royal Overseas League, ROSL House (Venue 79) 226 5 738, until 23 Aug, various times, see listings for full details.
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MUSIC PREVIEW Andras Schiff - Late Night
contrast. Renowned as a Bach specialist, Schiff has been particularly
Bach busy in 2000, the 250th anniversary Back at the Usher for some night of the composer's death. Apart from mOVGS giving recitals in his native Hungary,
as well as further afield, he takes to 1 the stage as conductor in the magnificent St Matthew Passion. If you can’t manage to hear him live, you could do a lot worse than add some of his recordings of Bach to your collection.
(Carol Main)
n Andras Sch/ff (International) Usher Hall, 473 2000, 23 & 26 Aug, 70.30pm, £75.
in the newly refurbished Usher Hall and bask in the sounds of pianist Andras Schiff and his late night Bach. Now a favourite ritual of the Festival, Schiff's recitals this year feature all srx of the English Suites, split over two evenings. Relatively large-scale works (each concert lasts about one hour), these suites are full of colour and