Memories of the Sea Stage By Stage Edinburgh Aeaileiny. until I / Aug. [.45pm. Multimedia video montages and performance inspired by Mediterranean myths.
Mental 0... Lynn I'erguson ck“ Step/ten Powell. Assembly Rooms, until 27 Aug. 9.05pm. imagine Jesus (‘hrist was an ordinary bloke who enjoyed a smoke. a shit and a wank. In this comedy Lynn liergUson and Stephen Powell play psychiatric nurses who are looking alter the aforementioned Mr ('hrist. Unfortunately they have traumas of their
Despite childhood ambitions of becoming a princess. Maggie fell into nursing and is now writing a self-help book to escape it. (ireg is coming to terms with a broken marriage and admits he became a nurse to ‘increase his chances of shagging one'. In this pacy production the actors slip between era/.ed and carer. The result is a dark. witty look at a career you certainly didn't contemplate when you were five. (Kik Reid) Midden 'I'raverse Tltt’tlll‘t’, 14—25 Aug. times vary. See preview panel. Middle Flight ('overly Set. (ii'ey/i'lars Kirk House. until 26 Aug. 1.55pm. Thorvald Aagaard writes and performs a play about the making of Paradise Lostand John Milton's own lost paradise.
Mina Rocket (0‘ Kirk ()‘l’ielil. until 28 Aug. 5.30pm. Promising student writer Andreas Beltzer's new play. in which an ()scar's party is disrupted by a stranger. Missing Reel O... 7t'ltt't’l'M'. until Sat 25 Aug, various times vary. See review panel
Mom, I’m not a Lawyer th‘lt I-uleliei: Assembly Rooms, until 27 Aug. 6.45pm. Rich Fulcher from the excellent Modern Problems in Science has something he wants to get off his chest: he‘s been a comedian for eight years. but his parents still think he‘s a lawyer. MOSCOW C... Assembly Rooms, until 12 Aug. 3.35pm; The Scotsman Assembly. Koineilia .S'outlisiile. 14—26 Aug. 7.15pm. How does the metaphor of Chekhov‘s TheThree Sisters relate to the situation of three modern gay men locked in a theatre. forced to rehearse the play over and over again'.’ This initial interesting idea is never fully developed in Nick Salamone‘s chamber musical which owes too much to Sartre's existentialist. In ('amera . Pretentious. sometimes melodious. certainly difficult. three great American musical performers transcend the limited material and completely inhabit their parts. They make you believe there is something of worth in what they are singing about.
Nic Arnzen is especially moving as a southern stud who. on the realisation that
agile
fun
Napthalene
I rnn‘r m
Wad“! the best prize"
Its expressive, performers
never lose their sense of
- for a Total Theatre Award"
sex messes up friendships. transtoims in front of our ey es from child to adult
.ltosi (m is not for eyeryone You really hay e to bc a theatre queen. probably a gay one at that. to get the lull amount out o! the show. Forget about the material. glory in the pertormances. IJohn Binnie: Moving Objects Iii-union I/ii um ('ompanv [fruition 'I'lieati'i'. ‘1 2" .liig. times t(tl'\. See reyiew panel
Mr Pinocchio 0.. l.i1.'.‘l. Hm" Street Theatre. until 2,".‘liig. Fill/mi Whales er happened to Pinocchio ’ .-\ccording to this play he became iiioital and liy ed to regret the loss of his former. exciting existence. Written by Day id \\ \\ Johnstone. this piece portrays Pinocchio as a spoilt child. Sandy (iricrson. who plays the puppet. talks ma l‘t'dttk Spencci esque. high-pitched whine. loicing the ageing Mr Pinocchio to contront the memories that he has shut from his mind until now.
The iisc of slapstick brings much needed light t'eliel to lltts slti\\ paced play. lloweyei'. the ten remains random to the point ol inciunprehensitin. Alter an hour ol struggling to understand the characters I lelt the theatre. little the wiser as to what did happen to the \Hmdett buy. thls Reitll. Munchausen I’leiisiini'e. until I: .liie, .i’.4(l/’iii. lixil‘rcstlc man .lotl‘ ( 'haler and his new company Bootworks in a show about the enigmatic baron.
Musical Fairytales .Stiigi' In .s‘iagi- lz'i/iiibureli Aeai/eiiiy. until liking. 1.45pm. l‘aii'ytales and music from Southern Italy for adults and children. Nameless .S‘I'It mt isuui/i Islimi/ 'I'lieati'e ('om/niny I. (irey/i'i'iii's Kirk House. /-I 25xlug. 3.55/iiii. I’hysical theatre centring on four women incarcerated in prisons both mental and physical.
Napthalene O... Kiiim'iltit .y'i Step/tens. until la’Aiig. tttiti'y iiirv .v\iiy show that starts with a group of Russian cosmonauts from eny ironmental health creating havoc among the audience can't be all bad. and .\'ii/itliiileiie is in tact pretty damn line. [is three performers enact stylised dances. insect mating rituals and swordlights with aplomb. donning grotesque masks and y i\ id costumes and generally doing their best to giye mime a good name. 'l’hieving angels. impotent devils and large green balls are among the protagonists in this physical theatre. although the cream of the crop is perhaps
the mannequin whose ‘Billie Jean routine
is good enough to giye Jacko himself a few sleepless nights. .-\ leys ol' these routines are a little o\ er long. but this cabaret show ney er loses its sense ot continuity. and its espressiye. agile
Quentin Crisp/Resident Alien 00.. am. .~\ny show which has kicked around toi a while. been successful in \'ew ioik. and tinal ly meandcred its way to our shores alter a good deal ot success might be e\pccted to lose a little energy through a natural entropic process. Not so. :\ stand out peitormancc by Bette Bourne in this one man show makes ll compulsne \ iewing.
l’oi'tray mg a morning in the lite ot Quentin ('i'isp. as he dicsses his cc/ema afflicted. liail body for lunch with an unknown party. 'I llll l'ountain‘s piece accumulates both humoui and poignancy as it proceeds. llourne's mo\ement. look and diction work perfectly in tandem in creating the illusion at the centre of the play.
.»\s the end of his life draws near. he retlects tipoii his early days as a |.ondon rent boy. his one briet lullstime relationship. and his uneasy altinity with New York. his chosen iesidence. a spellbinding intimacy dc\e|ops with the audience. ('i'isp's tamously grubby room is recre- ated for the occasion. and his legendary lack of attention to issues of personal hygiene seems only to draw tis closer liycn the odd. rather tascistic \ iew ll'tilll this charactei is charmed into insigiiilicaiice. .\ inaryelously enioyablc piece of theatre. tSteye ('i'ameri
.lyyi iiibl\ ly’ooiiiy. until Sun 2’» .liie. // ‘71
peiloimeis ueyei lose theii sense ot tun i.lames Siiiaiti
Narcissi It! In. limit/nu 't. H ,‘r, .liig. /.‘*/iiii, \ conteiiipoiaiy ietelliiig ol the (iieck myth
Nasty Boy Ali/iii i/ii.‘ /’iiuliii .'lrit.'\
Ali/iii t/Iti ly’oiiiiiii / titjli lot/aft ain't." .,‘/i .liig. Kalil/mi ()uaiitum pliysit s. sciial killets and .i potato mashci all teatuie in .liiii \laddcih new comedy
Terry Neason: Slaps’n’Tickles (Scotland) Iii/1i l\t li'ii til/l, ll 3‘ lug. ll/iiii \\ Ith a taste in lllll\l\ as ietiiied as ltet \olce is slttittg‘. \L‘.t\Htl l\ essential
\ iew mg toi all those who thought they hated cabaiet ciooiung
Neutrino /’li uni/Iii [lit/Ht. sits/if
."t lit'J. still] 'I he neutiiiio. toi all those iioii physicists out theie. is the name ot a iecently discoyeied sub atomic [‘dllls le which constitutes the smallest amount ot reality eyei imaginable by a human being \\ hile l nlimited Hit-ands latest piodiictioii steeis \ leai ot the lllllls ac ics ot particle physics. the concept that minute details can hay e pow eitul ettet ts on ieality has iiispiied tlietii to come up w ill] .i new approach to ielationship diaiiia ls’ecommended
1966 and All That /)t'.i /\i
.‘llltlt tioiix. l." /\ lug. N "It/iii} \\oild ('up inspiicd comedy
Not So Ladylike In. an. or In... (ill/(l /\’l‘\tl/ / Itllg'i llii ii'lti. 3‘ lttL’. ll/mi. \lusical diaiiia set in the lleiliii
cabaict scene.
The Notebook of Trigorin It lliiiiti'i l \(' l .\.l. [ha/nuptial («immunity [in (illt. iiiitil 2‘— lzig. "pin little—know n 'lennessce \\ illiams adaptation Hl ('hekhoy \ llii .\i iigiill Notes from a Small Island
C... li’i'iglitiiii llii iiti'i [.1 (NM. (ii/ili'il Hill/iii!!! tll It \li‘l It’iit'. l/l'l(\t. slug. .y’pm. Just in time to ieiiiiiid us all that
iiiitil :2
there is lite outside ot l'dinbiiigl: 'H the month ot :\ugust. this \It minute take on
lllk'l‘t‘l‘llldlll.l‘.\‘l|‘1'll\'l.ll.t'\llli)|‘\t'l. \\estoii \upci \laie and ( ilast'ow beloic ending with a t heesy. t heeitul look at what's :‘m id about the l l\ teiiilied by doui laiidladies. toutused by
il\\I'll is
the locals in a ( ioibals pub and boied bf. (ieiiy and the l’atemakeis on a lt‘lt‘s at ioss the \leiscy
\lt'\t‘ \lt‘t'll ‘I'l lli'H lllfi iy '.' \I5.'.'.ii"\| is an k'\\ elleiit mimit and a decent iiaiiatoi. although at times his you c is almost too iiieasuied |li\soii‘s wiitiiig is meant to be iead not peiloiiiied \till. he .iyoids sounding oycily smug. and diaws humoui biilliaiitly tiom the sliaip. coiiseiyatiy e t.t‘.‘. mateiial at his disposal Ilames \maiti Novecento «I // It}. til/i .i'. (l.'lii‘."\t'il\. Rum} / it . iiiii Iii. tit/i /\' /\ liig ' VII/mi \ee picnicxl. on opening tlieatie page Number’s Up Mao/1 In. am. \ii;'.'i\.'ii:i \. .iiilxi // litt'. // \lliill/ ('hiis \iiiietts' llaic lay 's \waid winning lllll\l\.ll set iii the llsllt‘ltdl. ll.t\lltill.tl woild ot \uiiieialphaiia Ball Out IV“! i "i \. (iii '.lllti'/\ /\iil lloziu. \ study ot tiieiidslup and bigotiy ".‘.tlllt'tl by lscy m lattaii Office 1/ ll l \iiiiii lsliiiii \iiliri llti (if/4 (viii/nit]: li'w‘aii / .t t iiii' lit: til/l. l" /\
on opeiiiiig
:iiitii ll» liti' ‘ XII/mi
li't’.’ lll "It/int \cc [ticyie‘~. theatie page
Olaf lsbister - A Seaman’s Tale lit: \i tiii ll’l‘i'. list on: \I t/ii Ill/'2'.
iiiifi.’ // liti'. \ /‘/iiii l‘.'.eetl lheatic pieseiits ( ieoige \lackay lliov. as
[/14 iii/1
play about a ioy ing ()it adiaii
Oleanna /. \ll.ii'l Hitaii. I \t is \_ /)I.’(Ittlllttltil ( ’iiiiiinuiiit‘. llii til/l iiiitil Sol .liiij J/iiii l)a\. id \ialllelo toiitioyetsial and compelling play about a piotessoi accused by a student of haiassmcnt. Oliver \tiigi \ll. Iii/Ht y (alley/He's High St iiiml. iiirtii // lug, .'tI)Ii \ till". l.ioiiel llait's well loyed musical peitoimed with
liyc oichestia
' THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 63