THE GRIMM TALES coo
Theatrical nasties ll‘r; v r,t r\'c't'ii‘r,;iriti, 'ia” e’t brothers Ciri'N" reali, were a ’larlv 'ilfl pair Hon" l'l’] about (jr;r'r .‘ii‘y llr ttlf: ‘:£if|y tit‘r cer‘tiiry. Wilhel" Li' (1 Jéi’ ’it; ’,’)H‘:’,t‘:fl tfiiifj’, ’it ’,'ll‘,‘.t,' and gamitlffly lhehaiip, i;r.'trr‘.r;',. when they
can e. .'.":f‘: 'iril, bri'r‘ out 'it great suffering. And so it if, that Convent Productions takes the original urisaccharined essence of the tales iii this adaptation by Carol Ann [)uffy The poetic sounds and rhythms that you'd expect lead ,oii into the dark hearts. which are played out .‘."tll conviction by the strong. ,roung cast. the ririrriness. though. is a bit unrelenting and .vould benefit from a little more light relief. Because when relief does come, iii the shape of love or humour. it turns griri~ into grins. iliuth lledgesi
I Ko/riedri'i Roman Lag/e lodge. .920 7207, ll/ltI/Q.)¢'1Atl_(}. l.«1()aiii. 535.550 515.330 ii‘-l.:">()-§‘:'>.:3()i
NOT ANOTHER KIDS SHOW? 0..
It's a kind of magic
"(Ian I have a volunteer”?' 'l hose dreaded words that leave most parents digging a hole with their eyes in a desperate ittt(}.’l‘.l)t to escape the auditoriu'ii. Fortunately. Keith lields recognises that the adults in his audience are more concerned with keeping the kids happy than satisfying an exhibitionist streak. Follownig in l'o'rirr‘y Cooper '5; footsteps along the diyiding line between magic and stand-up. this show sets itself the difficult challenge of enter'tainrrient for all the family: slapstick meets Innuendo while Fields pulls off some genuiner baffling tricks. The show falters at times. but rt was under presSure that our hosts comic spontaneity shone
°.""/Lifll" (3’)" ‘: l/lil'lf‘)‘ I The P» r, 21", :19 ,0. il'itw (/‘4 /4:i j ’i./T .l
"'Ji'l"i. : «at «‘1 .‘f>-—: hi
.0.
Splish, splash. splosh re': p. a rr‘us'vii‘as" uf '.' e e.'e' cor/Jar F ",1; toms ti, Data" a..‘."‘o' Max 'l/eithiigs. trig; i" fine i; a s'nple m..<. ha ri‘a, "/ ‘ve ‘1; e (riffflflt’
I (to iii 'ntinlcr Pp
.. LC; it) ) through the seasons learning about life and friendship. He discovers that memory} is diftment. a'id .‘ihether your feet are webbed or you've got big ears. whether you can fly or you can leap. everyone can be friends. A nice little stery interwtiven with valuable lessons. though on the odd occasion it leaps too far leaVing a few confused expressions Nonetheless. the kds are. as ever. he led by the slapstick humour. scary moments and gill”),
(Susannah McMicking,
I C too. 0870 707 :3 70:3. until 23 Aug mo! 7 7/,
l 1.30am. .l‘fifif) fi‘xl.:3()-f‘:3.5()i
RUMPLESTILTSK IN AT THE FAIRY TALE LAUNDRY 0...
Spin cycle puppetry
It's startling that a laundry basket containing a rag bag of odd socks. assorted garments and some cloth of gold can produce such an iriiaginative feast. But that's exactly what gifted childreri's entertainer Ailie Cohen achieves. almost single-handedly. in her hugely enioyable interpretation of this classic morality tale. Appearing initially in the role of the cheerful Fairy Tale Laundry Maid. the versatile Cohen goes on to create a colourful new spin on the st0ry of the foolish miller and his daughter. the greedy king and that funnily- named little man who lust wants a baby. TrernendOus fun for all the family.
(Allan Radcliffei
Book Festival 0131 624 5050 Fringe 0131 226 0000
lntemational Festival 0131 473 2000 Military Tattoo 0131 225 1188 Film Festival 0131 623 8030
BOOK DiscussioN IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Ariel Dorfman and his son. Joaquin, discuss their joint novel, The Burning City
Hot: Joaqui Dorfma
It’s hot in the city, damn hot; the mercury‘s rising and sweat is pouring - Samantha Jones wouldn‘t last ten minutes without pulling out her compact. This is July 4 2001, New York, only two months before the date that is now a symbol, a tragedy, a cause. And Heller has just turned 16 years old. He lives on the edge of his teenage wits, burning with restlessness and tearing through Manhattan to deliver bad news for the company, Soft Tidings — ‘The entire world was going to melt that summer, and it was in those moments that Heller was more than willing to melt with it.‘ A notion of this impending apocalypse jacks up the sense of crisis and self-destruction.
The Burning City is written by two New Yorkers - one first generation, one second: father and son. Dad is the intellectual giant, Ariel, and his son, Joaquin, is fast gaining his literary reputation. Together they have crafted this adrenaline-fused tale of alienation and coming of age for the 21st century. Their own ages, though, are belied in their manner. ‘We often go around and say, “Here‘s Joaquin, here's my older brother,"' says Ariel. Indeed, the intensity of the novel for teenage readers could only have come from Joaquin. ‘Yes, I put a lot of myself into the main character. Heller is typical of a lot of characters that I write about - they don't feel they belong absolutely anywhere.’ It is interesting that the boy who has spent all his life in one city, one country feels this sense of non-belonging while the father who was exiled from Chile by Pinochet sounds resolved and young-hearted. But maybe that’s a youthfulness that comes with age.
This is a rare chance to see both of them together, though soon there could be three. The next project is a TV series for HBO on Latinos living in west Los Angeles, written together with older bro, Rodrigo. It is a literary mafia that knows no bounds; the Sopranos of intellect, you could say. And just as hot.
(Ruth Hedges)
.A’IBI("Wu/WWI”? OUWWW £(1””)U"S}’l /r7.'er.ni’itrorra’ Book Festival. Charlotte Sofia/e. 531’» ‘i/lf'ii’). i'i‘i Aim. l (filo/ii.
$3.50
I Assembly Rooms. Wm 24 Aug (not 78/. l lam, £6 ([4)
DEAN’S SILLY SONG SI - ALONO coo Freidman sparkles
with his young protegés
Dean Friedman — internatiOnally at:clairiied musician and songwriter — has JUSt been upstaged. somewhat SpeClaCularly. by a two- year-old. And the music maestro re\els in it as he haboily strums away on his guitar. letting his tiny tots take the Starring roles in this coIOurful sing-a-long extravaganza.
Cute '~.'c".iriteer Archie happily jOTi'lS an enigmatic Fremlrrian. replete with inflatable tiger shoes lcourtesy of Freidman's ‘dress up helpers'i and we all Sing enthusiatically about stinky feet. An excited Amy rushes on stage decked Out in full bee regalia preparing fOr the next ditty to kick off. clutching l‘er sparkletastic hairband and waving ltt;il"C'ctlly’ at her mummy
This is a slo.-i-burner of a show that loses yOunger audience members to their peers at times. but is nOnetheless a love'y romp thrOugh music and song, Anna Mil'ari
I Assembly Hozirrrs. until 25 Aug. llarrr, 5’5) 5‘7!) It‘d—fol.
JAMES CAMPBELL’S COMEDY 4 KIDS OOOO
Stand-up for the children
James Carripbell has hit on something that seems very obvious when you think about it:
that children's minds are
Wide open to Surreal. illogical trains of thought. It's the device exploited by the greats of modern Surrealist comedy. Ross Noble and Paul Merton. to name a c0uple. And so in Campbell's stand-up
show for kirls. he ‘.‘/f3£t‘/(:f; in and out of ridiculoi s scenarios. sparked off by banter from the young audience and p; sses through rhyrrir;s_ nonsense and dry
riuips It goes down a treat and is only uriderrriined when a little lad in the front row starts preempting Campbell b/ quoting the punchlines, He ceiild do with a bit of new material to keep l.is devoted follomng on their toes. Not that they're corriplaining too rziuch. iRuth Hedgesi
I Assembly Rooms, (MM 25 Aug, 7.45000. {7—58 $550-$650).
‘.:-2' A . ; THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 49