The Red Shoes .000 Knee/itch Theatre. I’leusunee. until 27mm. 3.30pm. l‘our hollow-eyed. dirty figures in vests and Y-fronts wander amongst the audience before taking to the stage to wash tlteir feet. It looks like a bizarre and inauspicious way to start a performance. btit it's a rather apt way for The R(’(l Shoes to start »— for this is a decidedly grim fairy tale.
The four players. aided by a languorously camp ringmaster who goes by the name of Lady Lydia. act otit the life of a child. who wanders alone until she is taken under the wing of an elderly woman. There she is given a pair of red shoes which attract a suitor. and allow her to dance with riotous. intoxicating vigotir until she drops. lixhilarating routines are enacted to a soundtrack that veers from the (‘an (’an to DJ Shadow. Then she discovers the literal meaning of dancing ‘till you drop‘ she can't stop moving when she has the shoes on. btit after a while she can't take them off. ller attempts to escape their magic include a graphic trip to a butcher‘s shop attd an entreaty to the church.
The fusion of folk fable and phy sical theatre is not an easy one. but Kneehigh 'l'heatre pull it off with style. providing glorious. grotesque entertainment for anyone who likes their fables to he dark. extravagant and filled with funky moves. (James Smart)
Sholom Aleichem - Now You’re Talking! .C. ll’llt .Vtiti' 'I’lu'tttl'e (it. Hill Street llu am. until 3" .lu‘c'. ~l/ini. Rich iiien. poor ineii. irritating husbands. irritated wives. kids hunting for ( ~lianukali money and a leaking baby are ltlsl some of the characters in Saul ls’eichliii‘s energetic piotluction. l‘sing Sholoiii .v\leicheni's \iddislt tales I/‘Itli/lei' ()n [In lv’uot was inspired by one ol lllcllll ls’eichliii recreates .lcwisli village life in the l‘ltli century with great vigoui and .illcction. He clearly loves these stories and skilltilly interprets tliciii
Katsura Kan and the
Saltimbanques
CURIOUS FISH
Butoh dance of darkness. Curious fish is a satirical,
using nothing more than his talent. 'l‘his is a good show which works best with some familiarity of .’\|eichem's writing and art understanding tiust a totichi of Yiddish. i\'iv l'l'all/lllalllll Show Off 0... 3".lue. _.-l.</tlll. .v\n e\orbitant blend of stand tip. parody. song. discussion and multimedia. not to mention a kind of striptease-cunt conjuring act.
Shy Shining Walls Kunm/ut .s'i Slip/u us. until 3“.lue. tiniev ltll'\. l‘l\L' poetic body dance movements by ('osta
humourous dark piece created for
the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
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August 13-27 21:00—21:50 ‘ .Garage Theatre 7 pounds (6 pounds)
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. ‘ Royal Society of Edinburgh 22—26 George Street
9:00-17:00 Monday to Friday only
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Admission Free
Rica‘s l)iquis 'l‘iqtiis abotit male-female relationships.
Ski Sluts from Glenshee COO lllt’tlll't’ ll'orlsv. Hill Street 'l'lieiitre. until 3.” :ltlL'. l/mt. lliltis isn't the slit)“ to \ istl if it's deep and meaningful drama you're after. btit it is worth it iust for the sheer energy. Based oti a kind of female lid \Vood character making a sci-ti poru lt—mov ie in the Highlands. the plot is a rapid succession of nonsensical twists and turns iiivolv ing an evil identical twin. an avalanche and some slsi sltils.
Skin 8 Playing Cards with Beethoven O. litttt. (,‘amge ('lui/iiteiui t'l'lu'uti'e (Ill lv’ivnriuv I. until 2." .lug. .i’pm. lt's surprisingly hard to keep a straight face w hen confronted with the sight of a man. wearing only his underpants. prancing around a stage holding ping-pong halls. 'l‘atu is more impressive with his deck of cards. but somehow his combination of ballet and sleight of hand fails to ama/e. Sleeping Beauties O... .s'tiamv ('loivn 'I‘lieitti'e. (' lenue. until 3/) glue. llmi. The true story of an abortive I‘lth century arctic e\pedition prov ides the inspiiation for this one—man comedy. l’erforinei‘ Jonathan Young plays the survivor ofaii abandoned fleet as a grotesque clown made increasingly demented by loneliness and nullity.
Smile for Me The .Vet‘er .lliiul 'I'lieitti'e (o. lv’onieiliu .S'outlivule. until 30 .lue. 3.45pm. l)ark comedy thriller abotit ;i kidnapper. 'l‘hree stars in 'I'lie .S‘eotvnuin. Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me lliiteltlt l’rmluetionv. (. leniie. ttltltl 3/) due. 7.30pm. Drama abotit the lieirut hostages. Song of the Suitcase Man - First Among Sequels l’ll'i'l‘u' Mimi tin/iv. until .35 .rlue. lift/mi. Drama complete w itli liitiiiait. fantasy babe and suitcase. Speed-the-Plow .0. Benet ('auv prevents li/tnn (Ull/ .llunte/ iii Ito/[vii not]. (‘ lenue. until 36 glue. ,"lini. This is a competent. confidently performed production of Mamet's play about a movie producer catiglit in the classic double-bind ol artistic merit vs. coitiiiiei‘cial interest. The Spice Trail 000 lllt'tllt'lltlt Butuiiieuni. Iv’mu/ Bum/tie (um/en lit/inliureli. until 35 .Ilue. N/mi. If it’s style you're lookitig for. 'l‘oby (iotigh's e\ploratioii of the spice trade through the eyes of an aspiring young Scottish chef is
w ell worth checking otit.
Spiritual Nuggets lt‘t’ ie .\m Mum-it in}. (irettriiirv Kill Iluuve, until little.
8. limit. liociising on \llllllllcl‘ day s in the lives of young friends.
Spittoon .O. (inn/mm (itll in Iv’nliertwn. (ii/ileil Balloon I’lu'tilre. until 3/) .Ilue. 7pm. Spittoon is one of those shows that is so ingenious that it makes you
wonder. ‘Wow. how did they do that'." rather than actually make you kill yourself laughing. .\ Western tale played otit by just two actors. the show exposes every cllcltc in the genre w itli scary accuracy. and chucks in a bag ftill of side gags for good measure. The real skill displayed. how ever. is in how two actors with no props manage to carry off a couiple\ story line involving umpteen characters. The answer is a highly inventive and superth e\ectited combination of mime. sound effects. unbelievable planning and frantic off stage action. arid it‘s that orchestrated cleverness that leaves a lasting impression more than anything else.
tl)otlg Jttltltslolicl
Spoonface Steinberg 'I'Iie Rut-at Senttivli .-leiuleniv of .quie tuu/ Driinui. lenue /.\’. until 35 .rlug. times run: If a story abotit an autistic girl's fight against cancer sounds unappealing. remember it's by Bil/v l‘illittt writer l.ee Hall and has been universally acclaimed.
The Spurt of Blood 000 7 (mil .ttv .lliite Ken. Ali/1e I'nilerltellv‘. until I!) glue. ()IHII. “the show ‘s very lotid. btit it shouldn't damage your ears.' said the ticket person. As I fished otit a tissue to pltig ‘em tip I entered the murky vatilt. slightly fearful of what The Slim-t nt B/oml had in store for me. What followed was an intense perl'oriiiance about se\tial awakening or possibly perversion. I think. Remember .v\rtaud was mad and this is physical theatre. so it‘s not cut and dried. But one thing‘s for sure this company can move. Despite an overly long opening and the random obscenities. this is a powerful piece. The aggressive soundtrack. some breathtaking sequences of explosive dance and the obvious talents of the performers uiake it an e\liilarating e\perience.
i\’iv l‘raii/manni
Spymonkey’s Cooped 0000 .S'pvmonltev. l’letivtinee. until 27.1112. ".35piii. llallucinogenic surrealism from a team vv ho are physically and verbally funny. if not insane. the disparities create a sense of watching sis different productions simultaneously. without understanding any of them. btit (‘nopei/ is genuinely funny. Spymonkey’s Stiff .Silivinnnltev. l’leiivunt‘e. until Ii-lue. //.."tluni. Award- winning physical comedy. set in a funeral parlour. returns after finding success at last year's l-ringe. l‘ive stars last tittie from The list.
St Nicholas C. .-lvventlil\ lt’iunnv. until 3,".tiue. 3.30pm. .\ one-man play by ('onor Mcl’herson about a theatre critic who goes off the rails. btit which doesn’t quite reach its potential.
The Stand In I’uerile ('onu'ilv (‘unt/uinv. (ii/ilei/ Bill/min ul I’e/i/u'rniint lounge. until living. .i/mi. Visual comedy about an unusual new job agency.
Star-Crossed Lovers I )enum ‘n Rt’tlst'l I’I'iuluetiunv. It’otlet ((1 .S‘uutli Bi'iilee. until 35 due. 9. III/mi. Romeo and .ltiliet e\plored. Starting Here, Starting Now the ().().'II 'I'lieutre (o. Betl/uni 'I'lieutre. until 3.‘_.'l1lg’. It)..\'U/mi. .-\ musical journey through love and self-discov ery.
Steven Garling Plays Silent Films The Bongo ('lu/i. until 3,".‘lue. l/tlltl. (iernian percussionist Steven (iarling has been composing new soundtracks to classic films since l‘Nl. and his .v\sian and .»\fi'o~ .v\inerican orchestral interpretations have received widespread acclaim.
Storytime 0.. Ii’ii'tlill'rite 'I‘lieitti'e. (‘ leniie. until 3/) .lue. (i/nn. Molly. abused by ltct' father for years. relied on her brother Sam to protect her by making tip stories to take llct‘ ottl ol the dark plact‘ sltc “as in. .\'ow grown tip. they find themser cs liav ing to confront the past and its consequences in tit'tlcl' lti scl them litllll l‘l'ct‘.
Stuffing the Turkey (ii/(tut Ital/um; at leiiot Rim l/ouve. until 3,".lug. /. [Spur (‘oiifessions and revelations fill the air as a traditional family ltinch turns blackly humorous. 'l‘wo stars in the Sentvnuin. Supper With Robert Burns Nellie/“lion llieutre. until / Xe/t. /),.\‘(l/i/it. 'l‘raditioiial fare with song atid poetry. Swallow lite/veil I'lieuti'e. (' \i'nue. until 3/) .lttg’. Itimlt. SUM death and lt'iplc sec combine iii this black comedy. four stars iii llie Xi utvnuin.