Theatre
‘It's rock’n‘roll theatre: arts yes, arse no‘
Cue the lights, cue the cues. as HURRICANE HIGGINS enters
the stage. Mark Fisher
ertnlt Brecht said the
[k‘t'lt‘cl lllt‘ult'c tttltItL‘ttL‘L‘
\ltnttld Itc likt.‘ the (Mud at a hn\ing match. lIe nhser\ ed the \sa} spni‘ts tans understand the rules nl’ the game. can tell the (IlliliL‘l'L'lICC I‘L'I“ L'L'Il gimtl and had. and are engaged \\ ithntlt heing s\\ ept a\\ a}. 'l'heatre audiences. h_\ cnnti‘ast. are tnn easil} hegtiiled and hel'uddled.
'l‘hings ha\en’t changed much. htit there are a ntiinher nl slin\\s nn this )c‘;ii"s l‘ringe that are attracting ci'nss-m er audiences hecaiise the} are u/miit spnrt. l/urri'mm' is one nt‘ them. .\ linel} cratted nne—inan shim. it is a celehi'atinn nl Irish snnnker legend .-\le\ ‘llurricane' Higgins. gniiig l'rnm the \\nl‘ltl cliainpinnship highs tn the hard drinking Inus nt‘ a We |i\ed tn the ltill. l mu it earlier in the )ear pla)ing tn a linme crnu d in Bell‘ast's ('athedi‘al Quarter .~\rts l-‘esti\al and. l‘nr all its elegant ai‘tisti'} and ph_\sical theatre panache. it’s cleai‘l} attracting a hrnader than a\erage audience.
'I ltttlL‘ lltL‘ult‘L‘ Ik‘lttg [)L‘I‘L‘L‘hcd its \ttttlc kllttl ttl' L'lIIl\I. \ttttltlt}. \L‘L‘lttt‘ttttt institutinn.‘ stl)\ tIII‘L‘L‘lUt‘ Rachel ()‘Rinrdan \xlien I meet her the nut da}. ‘ll' this kind nl' theatre ser\es tn hreak that dn\\ n in an} \\;i}. then lantastic. lt's rnck‘n'rnll theatre: art )es. arse nn.‘
Written and perl‘nrmed h} ()'Rini‘dan‘s hushand Richard l)ni‘iner. the pla_\ has met \\ ith the apprmal nl Higgins hiinsell. He's a nntnt‘intisl} trick} character. \\ ith as man} enemies as l'i'iends hut. altlinugli the pla) is no \\ltite\\ash. I)nriner pni'ti'a}s him \\lllt\_\lll[741lll}. '\\'e‘i‘e nnt gning tnr the kill.' sa}s l)nriner. 'It‘s nnt a tahlnid attack. lt's Innkiiig at the highs and ltms and standing hack.’
In truth. hntli l)nrmer and ()‘Rini'dan are genuinel} tnuched h) lIiggins’ heha\ inur. ‘I didn‘t knnu he \\;t\ cnming tn the pi'e\ ieu.’ \tt}s ()‘Rini‘dan. 'Ile \\as lnxel). I “as tei'i‘ilied and he “as actuall} calming me dnuii. He said: ".'\I‘L‘ _\nu nerxnus'.’ l)nii‘t \sni'r) ahnut me." It \\;is such a kind thing tn dn. He said: ".\l_\ \xil‘e \xas ne\ er this ner\nus \\ hen she \xatched me pla_\." He liked the integrit) til it.‘
l)ni'mer. meaimhile. had e\ en less idea that Iliggins had slin\\n up. ‘()ut nl the dark. these shnes appeared and these pin striped ti‘ntisers.‘ he sa_\s. 'It just didn’t wear tn me that he’d he there. Then at the curtain call he stepped ntit. tnnk a hnu and then tlic‘i‘c"s lnads nl lake innne} nn the stage. sn he picked up a li\ er. stalled it intn in} pncket and said: "Bu_\ )nursell a drink"
Assembly Rooms, 226 2428, 1-25 Aug, 9.25pm, £10—£11 (£9-£10).
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52 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE ' .
Court in the
How do you turn 12 funny men into 12 ANGRY
‘ heyre a terrilic hunch-n—lads and rehearsals me. I _\nu cnuld sa}. l‘uii. as the} slinuld he.' s;i_\s Mastersnn. rela\ing intn his third triple \ndka the
needs it In cnme dnu nl.‘ It‘s a serinus p|a_\. )nu kiinu.‘
:\ cnuple nl _\eai‘s agn. ()\\ en O'Neill and I had this ci'a/_\ idea nl‘ putting nn Reginald Rnse's classic fills masterpiece. l3 slug/"t .Ilt’ll. at the l‘i‘inge \xith l3 cninedians. It \\.’t\ a erax} idea in the first instance hecatIse putting nn a ll persnn pla) in Iidinhui'gh is tantamnunt tn thi'nuiiig tllttttc} dimll a tnilet. 'l‘he ligures just dnn't add tip: tnn man} pt-nple. astrnnninical ensts. little pntential return. It just can't pa} lttt' II\L‘II.. I‘lll. IIIC idea lttttl L'ttgcntlL‘t'L'tl.
Sn uh} that plat} and uh) cnmedians'.’ Well. it‘s a pci'tect pla_\. Set in real time. it has I: distinct meat} rules. a strong are. it's highl} einnti\e and heautil'ull} \H'lllL‘lt. .-\s a hniius. its theme is pi'ett} tnpical. 'I‘n make it unrk )nu need l3 L'ttttlttlc‘ltl ttL‘tnt's.
.\'n\\. I‘\e al\\;i}s heliexed that cnmedians can make strnng actnrs. It} \ii'tue nl their trade. the} lime tinel} hniied cnmmunicatinn skills. nndles nt‘ cnnlidence and. innst iinpni'tantl). an acute auareness til the human spirit and its t'nihles. .>\ctnrs. nn the nther hand. are generall} tnn u rapped tip in lItCItt\Cl\'L‘s to he either auai'e nr cniilident.
.»\s a directni'. l helieVe that aii_\nne can act. The ahilit} tn he tntthlul nn stage is all that acting is. (letting tn the truth is the dillicult hit. In nrder tn tell the truth in a i'nle _\ntt almnst haxe tn l'nrget uhat the real tmth is tie that _\nu'i'e reall) planing a INC). The ideal is that the actnr hecnmes the character he ni' she is planing and hegins tn think. talk and mm e in the rnle. When this happens. the audience \xill lose sight nl' tlie actnr and see nnly the character. This is gnnd acting.
And it takes immense cnnlidcnce tn he ahle tn allim it In happen. ('ninedians- tn in) mind ha\ e l’eu nt’ the hang—ups that nhscure cnnt'idence. In surx he in their husiness which is tar ninre ruthless than theatre -- the) haw utterl} tn trust themselves and their material and he hig ennugh tn admit tlte}'i'e \xrnng \\ hen it doesn't unrk' all qualities innst