Theatre
NEXT ISSUE OUT WEDNESDAY 24 AUGUST
LORILEI
Beyond crime and punishment 0...
A lone woman sits dwarfed by an expanse of table. As the spotlight falls on her she introduces herself as Lorilei Guillory. It may not be a name yOu've heard before. but after an hour in her company its one you're unlikely to forget in a hurry This is the true story of Lorilei. whose six-year-old son was murdered by paedophile Ricky Langley. Almost motionless before us. Lorilei talks us through her son's death and her subsequent campaign to have
BLACKBIRD
Morals, ethics and emotions O...
his killer acquitted from the death penalty. As Lorilei. Anna Galvin is Subtly compelling. She delivers her words without overblown dramatics. instead allowing her numb and desolate face to amplify the slightest twitch of emotion. Using transcripts from a BBC interview with Guillory and
What would you say to my putting my hand up my deputy’s skirt? You might say it’s wrong. But if she were of my age, consenting, in need of a partner and so forth, you might only say so because this sort of thing interferes with the smooth running of a well-established workplace. So what if I interfered with my mum? You’d say it was just wrong, and that’s it, dude. The difference is that between ethics and morals. The former is an agreed structure by which we live within a social culture, and the latter . . . well, the truth is, the latter is the same thing, but we think it’s part of our subjectivity, basic to our selfhood, because it’s been drummed in so heavily. Both the deputy and Oedipal thing are to be discouraged, in my view, but David Harrower’s new play for the EIF, his best since Knives in Hens a decade ago, explores the disparity between the two, fascinatingly
unique to bourgeois culture.
In it, a former victim of child sex abuse (Jodhi May), now well into adulthood, but struggling with life and relationships, has tracked down her former abuser, a man (Roger Allam) now late in his 505 and wishing to forget his past. A confrontation takes place in which a far more complex emotional discourse than the ones we’re normally expected to consider when we address such issues then occurs. It works a bit like Liliana Cavani’s film, The Night Porter, and in one scene, actually resembles it, in that the power structures, and the very games played, between abused and abuser are seen as more problematical than (obviously) morality, but
perhaps even ethics, would have it.
Peter Stein’s production boasts the quality we’ve come to expect from the great man’s work, while Ferdinand Wogerbauer’s set, capturing as it does the scummy industrial estate cafeteria of the play’s setting, feels perfect. Through the windows of this room, boilersuited co-workers act as voyeuristic participants in events, an intrusion of bourgeois morality to such a level that one wishes the atmosphere were more claustrophobic. Meanwhile, two tremendous performances, treading a fine balance between naturalism and a movement of the body that brings us to some more detached place, perfectly exploited by a final ambiguity in the plot, work wonders. Harrower’s text is a little longer than it needs to be, but this is powerful and genuinely thoughtful stuff. (Steve Cramer)
I King's Theatre, 473 2000. until 24 Aug. 7.300177. £7.50—L‘25
Langley‘s various cOurt documents. writer Tom Wright has created an overwhelmingly simple monologue that avoids cliched dualisms. As the Victims mother explains her reasons for appearing in Langley's defence. it is not a case of right or wrong. good and evil. Wright is careful to avoid putting words in her mouth or to box her in with definitive conclusions or overarching themes. tori/er is the story of one woman. And as stories go. this one is courageous. inspiring and horribly bewitching. lCOl'l'lO Millsi
I P/easance Dome. 5:36 (5:350. until 29 Aug (not 1:3. /‘(>‘. 22. 23». 2435mm Y8. 50—519. :30 tf‘f—f‘t‘ii.
BACON
Life and times of Francis Bacon 0...
Maybe it's something to do with the celebrity culture we now inhabit. but it seems impossible to view the grotesque paintings of Francis Bacon without an intense desire to know more about the man behind the work. The boundaries between art and reality become blurred. questioning where does the man stop and the art begin?
Perched on a stool under the glare of a naked light bulb. gulping champagne. Bacon rPip Uttoni now deceased. speaks \.'-.'istfully and at points urgently and passionately about his life. He charts his childhood. his many and varied lovers. his friends and his work as an artist.
Co—wrrtlen by Utton and Jeremy Trowler. this is an insightful. fascinating examination of an extraordinary and complex man. Utton paints an astute and colourful portrait of Bacon. and although his performance is initially a touch empty. it picks up as the show progresses with intoXicating intensity. Vibrant characters from his life are
remembered with poignancy and increasingly drunken disdain; drink. gambling and sex are all a comfort to numb the pain of reality. And it's this notion of reality that itself sparks a rant about art: his passion to paint what he feels rather than what he sees: to provoke such emctions in others
Telephone Booking Book Festival 0131 624 5050
Fringe 0131 226 0000 International Festival 0131 473 2000 Film Festival 0131 623 8030
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without the need for explanation or meaning: to depict flesh and blood with all their hideous and beautiful rich colours. This is a compelling piece of theatre that links superbly yvith the exhibition of Bacon's work. currently on display at Edinburgh's Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. (Michelle Macintyrei
I P/easance. 5:36 65:30. until 28 Aug. 72-10pni. 519.50 1.87.50).
NUTS COCONUTS
For those who remember director Jord: Milan's previous International Festrxai show B/rnded by Love in 1997. you'll know he likes to challenge. surprise and excite his audience. and this current show is no excention.
On the Edinburgh leg of their British 'tour'. the Gibraltar Follies. a colourfully kitsc r travelling musical variety troupe. embrace all the music-hall sparkle of yesteryear complete with glitter. fabulous feathers. grotesque make-up and cramp-inducing. stage-school smiles. But when the performance ends and the costumes are removed. the ‘real' theatre begins: the 'characters' beneath the greasepaint are revealed. in all their bitchy. bickering. comical glory
From their hilariously camp musical numbers in gaudy costumes exposmg less than svelte physiques. to their playful 'r_)ersonas' underneath. this is an energetic. confident cast who aren't afraid to push the boundaries of the actor spectator relationship. The element of the unknown in this show grasps and holds you like a child in a state of wonderment. With an invigorating pace full of deliciously confusing chaotic moments. l)()‘.'z’l|(l(?l’0(l glances flicker between audience members. But for all the questioning of the roles we adopt in life. of what is real and what is performance play. the audience all too quickly learn the rules of the game. And with this knowledge. the magical illusion gradually begins to melt: spectators let out a small. knowmg sigh of relief. settling gleefully and rather too comfortably into the fun. Nevertheless. this is undeniably a unique theatrical event. well worth experiencing. itvlrchelle MaCintyrel I Out of the Blue Orr/l Ha/r’. J 73 2000. Untr/ (9 Sop met 22. 90/, 7.30pm «20
Aug .nrt’rf. 2.30;)Irh. 5‘20.
THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 65