up in an atmosphere of violence.
Blithe Spirit The .llukuris (lll(l I)..ll.l).('.. Murruyj/ielil I’uris’li ('liurcli Hull. until 2.5 Aug. 7.30pm. lidinburgh amateur clubs team up for Noel (’oward's spooky comedy. Blood l’leusanee. until 27xlug. lttltt'y HUT. (‘anadian play about prostitution. drug addiction and alcoholism. 'l’wo stars in The Evening News.
BlOOd 8: Roses .... Trestle ill/It’ll“? (1).. (' (,'iiilergi'oiiiiil. until 2/) Aug. 7. l5pni. The story of Lambert Sirnnel who. as a boy. pretended to be the rightful monarch during llenry \'ll's reign.
BlOOd Knot KCS Theatre (1).. llte (Tin/erln'lly: until 26 Aug. 2.10pm. first performed in secret in Johannesburg in l‘)()l. Athol litigard's mixed-race play eventually made its way to Broadway. It's about racial identity and the imagination. Blue Remembered Hills The Rep lllt'ull't' ('o.. (‘ too. until 25 Aug. 8.50pm. Dennis Potter's play in which a day out for a group of children ends in tragedy.
Blue Remembered Hills ('luirterliouy’e. Rocket (0 Rovn/ ('ol/ege o/ Surgeons. until 27xlug. 5.!)5pin. l)ennis Potter‘s hard-hitting childhood drama.
The Bogus Woman 'I'Imtm- rim-lethal). until 25 Aug. 2.30pm. .\'o doubt ey en more topical than on its acclaimed run at the Traverse last year. Kay .-\dshead's stunning reftigee drama is fragile. angry and raw. l-‘our stars from The list last year.
Born African 0000 (hit the Iii/«4e. .-lugu.\tine'y. until 2(ixlug. 7.15pm. [)ey ised drama about a white Zimbabwean businessman who comes under pressure when veterans occupy his father‘s farm. .\ wee gem of a show.
BOUHd TO I](lllll'l\l('(l.'. (I‘I'l'lVll'ltlIW Kirk House. until 27xlug. ‘/.5l)/nn. lcarus myth transferred to the Isle of Wight.
The Boy-Girl x4 Show Rue/to in South Bridge. until 25 slug. 4.15pm. Youth theatre production about teenagers.
Breakfast Not Included .Vottingluini New Theatre. (‘ lenue. until 2/) .-lug. 4. Ill/nu. (‘oinedy about five hotel guests.
Broken Blossoms 0000 Negutir'ei/uity'. (' lenue. until 26 Arm. 5.30pm. Inspired by l).\\‘. (iriffiths‘ little- known silent film. Peter .\laclien's play tenderly portrays the dey elopirig relationship between a fragile. liast lind girl and a (’hinese man.
Brokenville 0000 ()n() llti‘ttlt’t’ (‘tt wit/i West Sussex (‘ountv Youth Theatre. Konieilut Ronutn [fog/e Ixulge. until 2/) Aug. 2.15pm. lii l’hilip Ridley ‘s play. si.\ lost people discover a forgotten child in a run—down house. 'l‘o pacify the frightened girl they begin to tell stories featuring invisible. giant flying seahorses and rampant witches.
Buried Child Festival Theatre I‘S(‘
('le. I)runinioiul ('oinniunity‘ lllt’tllt't'. until 24 Aug. 7pm. l‘amily ties are at the centre of this drama by Sam Shepard.
Cabaret 0.. Double Iiilge /)t'ilttlil. 'I'lie l'nilerln'l/y'. until 26 Aug. lllttt’\ run; The decision to cast lead female. Sally. with a male actor detracts from the lyricism of this classic musical.
Camino Real Double I'alge Umnui. 'I'lie ('tuler/n'llv. until 2/) Aug. .i’lnn. Byron. ('asanova and a boxer meet in a Mexican border town.
0 Casanova .... Sits/tee! (ill/litre. (ieorge Square Theatre. until 2/) Aug. 5.15pm. This isn't a biography of the historical Casanova. but a contemporary tale in which the world's greatest loy er is an art collector coming home to present a retrospective of his life. (‘asting such a role intrst have been as challenging as choosing a new James Bond. but l’aul Blair pulls it off brilliantly. his slightly rumpled exterior suggesting fascinating depths to be explored. Siispeet ('ulture are as intrigued by what the loy er represents as those around him are. Is he a destroyer of loy e or a Iibei'ator of the human spirit'.’ Sadly. the arguments for either case aren't as stimulating as the performances in a bold imaginative show which loses its focus a little in the seL'ontl hall. They do paye the way". how ey er. for a dark denouement. (Alastair .\labbottl
Foley Wore/we Theatre. until 2.5 .-lug. times vary: 0... you could barely call it theatre. except in the broadest sense. All the same. this monologue by a man who might have just walked in off the street. but for the fact that he's accompanied by a pianist. is increasingly enthralling. Perhaps it's his ordinary clothes. and the comfortable. serviceable shoes to which he draws our attention. that help make the tale he tells so exotic.
The title character tells the story of an eccentric tmad. had they been working class) and somewhat appalling upper class Protestant family in the Irish republic. 'l'heir story is. as Rl) l.aing might say. largely his. for much of what he does in his life is dictated by the unspoken hostility he bares to his stiobbis'h kin. The tale sweeps from his father's .slapdash attitude to their estate and ultimately ill-fated habit of riding a horse to their Kirk. to the younger Foley's attempt to spite his family by marrying an iitipoyct‘ishcd ('atholic woman. and converting to the church of Rome in the process. lt's all very painful. and funny.
Michael West's script is astonishingly eloquent. and performer Andrew Bennett times it all superbly. giy ing the whole piece the effect of a kind of Tom Sharpe noyel. with all its grande guignol grotesquerie in deployment of character and vaguely farcical situation.
(Steve ('ramer)
It‘s all very untheatrical. In fact
The Case ( 'roi'en Inurge 'Ilieritre. ('o2. until 2/) .lug. //. l5u/n. .\ chance encounter on a train is the start of a strong drama. Castaway Café S/ung low lllt'tllt‘i’ (o. [lei/loin 'I'lreittt'e. until 2.5 .lug. 4.30pm. llig cheesy musical about a bunch of young folk starting tip a web cafe on the beach. Casting Stones, Waves and Ripples Slice/urn l’i‘otlui'liony. (interim 'Ilieutre. until 2i.-lug. ltl. l5unr. (’omedy about manifestations of prejudice against disability in the theatre.
Catastrophe 0.. ly'onu’ilnt SI Step/retry. until 27xlug. times \‘(II'\. 'l‘hi'ee Samuel Beckett play lets in a short programme that is surprisingly full of
The Chair.-toemb/\ ly’ootns. until 2iglug. /./5/mi. .\'ew comedy by stand up laii .\lacpherson about a comedian occupy iiig a uniyersity chair of comedy.
Changeling Rooms II Ilu' (lid/reeling. ('too. until 2/) .lug. ism/nu. No two show s alike as each audience chooses si\ short play s from a menu of Rt). \Ve gay e it four stars last year. This year. there's a new cast. Check Your Coupon (it/(tot Ii’itlloon in I’e/i/n'i'nttnt lounge. until 2i.rlug. l/nn. Kathleen Ruddy 's comedy about two old folk trying to scam the pools.
A Chip in the Sugar-ill .t/mtml. (“are I\’o\'ol I'i'inge llieritt‘e. until 27.vlug. /. Ill/nu. Alan Bennett‘s brief domestic drama. Cirque Surreal 0.... 'I‘lre item/mi \ 'I'lieoti'e li’ig 'Io/t. until 2/) .liig. [tines l'tll'\. ‘l'he indiy idual acts. including aerialists. acrobats. dancers and clowns from (’hrna. South Africa and Russia. are breathtakineg skilled. but what ele\atcs it is the attention to detail.
City of the Dead It/m-L l/ot'l .Slitt‘yli'llt't‘y. /\'ii\ill .llili'. net! It) l’rtltr i‘ Into/'nuition ('entre. until .i'l .lug. tones run. Supernatural chiller as promenade theatre.
The Clearing Station 0.00 (it/ital Ii’iilloon ’Ilteott‘e. until 2".lug. .i'..\'ll/tiii. lirom the moment the lights go up on the frantically running form of lhibliiier Roisin Kearney. an unciunfortable atmosphere of menace and claiistropliobia descends.
For hour by hour daily listings see
Listings Supplement.
Closer Than Ever .00 ('ollt-ge or l‘lllt .ll'ly. (illll't'l'\ll\ tt/ .\i('ltlt/tl. l.(i'\ L‘tl\. //ie(/ori1ge. unit/27mg. 2. /5;nn. \lttsical i‘ey ue about heartbreak. 'l‘he performers are fantastic. but the direction lacks originality. The Hill/(Hill ill 'Ii'i'iot ly’oi: House. until 2—.lug. lip/n. 'I‘he accents are a little like Dick Van l)y ke cockney. btrt there's little else to tault this production. l)ay rd \Villiainsoii's script. detailing a night of wheeling and dealing in the committee room ol an .r\ssume Rules football club. glitters with wit.
The Cocktail Party 00. um In l’roilui'trony. (trey/ruin ly'ii'l llouu. until 2" .lug. l..\'5/ini. \Vest lfl's ability to capture some of the key elements of a difficult play is adriiri'able. The young cast is strong and avoids oy er indulging the pretensions w Inch put people off liliot.
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid 0... ('rit‘negie .llel/on l'nir r‘l'ylr'\ tlllt/ Queen .lliitgrri'et l‘niieryity (til/ego (itllt'lltfl 'I’lietiti'e. until 2-1 .lug. /2.-lll/nn. .\lichacl ()ndaatre iioyels may make for eycellent films when adapted by e\perieiiced screen play w ritt is like .'\nthony .\liiiglie||a. but they don‘t neccesarily make for good play s w hen adapted by the writer himself. .v\lthough llu' (‘ollt i'tetl rim-ti ()I li'rlly llu' ly'ul abounds with ()ndaatie's linguistic inyeiitiyeness and
superb iiar‘ratiye skills. he has not really created a play but a di'aiiiatised reading there is almost no dialogue .rrid an
oyer'w helmrrig reliance on eyeiits being related rather than represented. Yet to these )Ullllg' actors. L't'ctlll lltL'y deal \\ fill their te\t‘s flaws in a thoroughly professional manner. ("asey Splinder as Billy is a superny conyincing storyteller whilst \l\ k Webber and 1 cc Scott's lretiuent accompanimerit on guitar make for some spellbinding theatrical moments.
i'lim .-\br‘ahamsi
The Coming-In Show N. imth (it’lll'lHll'tl. until 2ilug. //.5lloni, 'llie tale of a gay. cross dressing aspiring i‘ockstai Company 0000 to 1mm l’t‘inlllt {to/Is. ()/(I St l’oul'y (‘lrurr h it lluii. until .75 .lsrg. J. lll/tlll. Stephen Sondheim's bittersweet musical of angst and loneliness in the llrg .'\pple is as timeless as when it was tust performed in l‘lifl. 'l’elling the story oi thirty year old Bobbie. enigmatic bachelor abotrt»town. as seen through the eyes of his married friends and three girlfriends. it is sharp. cynical and completely captures the me generation. who put self first. layebiow productions. a young. enthusiastic. talented company w ith fourteen oti stage and nine iii the band. sing. dance and act to electi riy mg effect. all under the imaginatiye direction of .loliii Sheerman. 'l'lie perlormers really eiiioy tliemsclyes. .rnd their ioy carries oy er to the audience. particularly in the great. rousing ‘Srde lly Side' chorus number Sondherm's songs are tr.cky. w rtli coriiplicated melodies and tongue twisting lyrics. here many ot them are carried ott w ith real aplomb. l’ar'trculai‘ly strong scenes rnyolye a karate loy mg couple. and .i near gay seduction on a balcony. l)a\ e l’ear‘ee as protagonist Hubble holds the piece together. although the part is notoriously difficult, (io along. be eyeited by some of Sondlieriir’s greatest lllll\lc. ilohn Runner
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) I'r'zi It’i t a Shirley/u rm (trititnzny. .lsyt’inlrl‘. ly’m w \. [HI/ll 2/) ,lug. l/.-J'.5r.'tir. Street theatre meets the llard in this eyei popular comic demolition of the entire canon.
The Condition of the Virgin COO (illili (l Hill/HUI] tl.’ li Hit." /\’it‘.'. [/I’HH. irrL'l.‘ 2—,lug. [fill/int. .\ny comedy featuring an Irish priest is bound to be compared to lot/u 1' It il. In this play. w ritteii by corrrediari lloothby (iiaffoe. an Irish priest and a \\elsli gray edrgger corrre across the \ iigin \laiy. a hy piiotic roui‘nalrst and an undead corpse ‘l'hey then proceed to try .rrid rescue the unborn baby Jesus from harm. HHS play is a strange hybrid. 'l'he script is ayer.r;.'e. w ith .. few good iokcs pulling in the laughs lloweyei‘. it's not really funny enough to be described as .1 comedy. I still prefer the original funny father. led. r Kik ls’erdr craCRed llli /\’i'\iii \II t'.'."1\i.l \i tirlr llt‘. t" .quu onrl ltr'riniii. \( 1::u l“. :rnnf 2" .\.'r::. tinu \ iii/y. Skye l orieragaii's play about a difficult father and daughter relationship Crash l’it rim/u i, anti:' 2” fig. / 2‘_,"ti: lliama about .i shock rock w ho is hunted down by one ol his radio \ rctiriis l'hree stars iii l/n Si ti.'\tt!.i'/I.
presents
1 9-26 August 1 030-1 1 .30am
i”
venue 34
225 5105
THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 39