Edinburgh's beautilul, spacious and central Assembly Rooms have long altered the city an ideal new theatre and concert space and with William Burdett-Coutts having demonstrated just how successful a venue can be made of them during the Festival, plans have been aloot for some time to extend activity there throughout the year. Earlierthisyearthe Assembly rooms hosted the ‘Theatre on the Move’ mini-lestival of European theatre and now, in what is proposed by Edinburgh District Council as a new era for the building, the Supper Room is being opened ior a fortnight (18 Feb—6 March, see Listings) to host a whole range of events in a cabaret atmosphere, complete with bar.
As a taster, the short season bodes well tor the luture and the possibility oi opening the building as a regular, high-quality cabaret spot. Opening the season on 18 Feb are Ossian, one oi Scotland’s most populariolk bands.
Beneath One BannerTucs Iii—Sat 22 Feb. 7.30pm. 7:84 Scotland in a new production; Sean McCarthy‘s new play set in a Scottish pit town of the 1860s, where a strike calls up and
' questions the divisions between the Orange and the Green. Directed by David MacLennan with a cast of five Scots and five Irish actors.
O NETHERBOW 43 High Street. 556 9579. Box office Mon—Sat 10am—4pm. 7—9pm perf. evgs. Cafe [E]
The Misanthrope Amended Thurs 20—Sat 22 Feb. 8pm. £2.25 (£1.75). Great Western Theatre Company in a new version of Moliere‘s classic comedy. set this time at a modern-day party — in which the audience. misanthropes included. are invited to participate. Enter Netherbow by side door as restoration is taking place.
0 QUEEN'S HALL 5 Clerk Street. Edinburgh. Bar. Buffet. Rest.
' Tickets available on perf evenings from box office, open 6.30pm
onwards. in advance from Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 228 1 155.
Mon-Sat 10am—5pm.
Scarlattl’s Birthday Party £2 (£1). An
invitation from National Theatre Co. to help celebrate the 300th
; birthday of Bach. Handel and
5 Scarlatti (see Panel).
0 ROYAL LYCEUM Grindlay Street. 229 9697. Box office Mon-Sat 10am—6pm. 10am—8pm on perf evgs. Bar. Rest. [D][E]
tithe List 7 — 20 Feb
my;
The next nights sees the appearance of Ege Bam Yasi. Varioust described as ‘exciting, outrageous and unpredictable’ this Edinburgh group have recently supported the Stranglers on tour. The next show could not be in starker contrast - Tag Theatre Company’s production of Charles Dickens’ ‘Hard Times' (see Review). The end of the month sees a return to comedy with the Vicious Boys, an abrasive, alternative comedy duo who were voted Time Out ‘Street Entertainers oi the year’ and have already made numerous TV appearances. Closing the season is Simon Fanshaw, stand-up comic and hit of last year’s Fringe, but there is more to come in the shape of a Bed Wedge Cabaret later in March and a tour-day dance workshop by the Gregory Nash Group (For details ring the Outreach Team 031 225 2424 x 5625).
u—m £-
Tartuiie Until Sat 15 Feb. 7.45pm. £2-£5. Theatresaver holders £1 off. A new translation from the French by Glasgow poet and writer Liz Lochhead of Moliere‘s satirical knife-twist in the soft belly of hypocrisy. Andrew Dallmeyer plays the lascivious religious hypocrite with Stuart Preston as his conned host. Directed by Ian Wooldridge and Colin MacNeil. (See Review). Parkthe Tiger Sun 16 Feb. 8pm. £5 (£4). Harvey and the Wallbangers in their new show ~ doo-wop, be-bop. . (See Feature). A Streetcar Named Desire Thurs 20 Feb—Sat 15 March. 7.45pm. £2—£5. Theatresaver holders£1 off. Free preview night, Thurs 20. Vivien Heilbron and Ron Donnachie play Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams‘ tense, grainy play. 0 THEATRE WORKSHOP 34 Hamilton Place. 226 5425. Box office Mon—Sat 9.30am—5.30pm. Bar. Cafe. [D] M Until Sat 8 Feb. 8pm. £2 (£1). Special ticket offers for parties. Theatre Workshop‘s latest performance project, an epic promenade performance involving a
large body of volunteers to recreate
the atmosphere ofa manhunt that turns on the knife-edge between justice and revenge — based on Fritz Lang‘s film.
0 If you’re interested in getting
.' Involved in drama, dance, writing,
printing, anlmatlon or photography
THEATRE LIST.-.
Ana rhyming Scots atthat-where will it
why not join the Theatre Workshop
. courses and make use at the
E workshops? Contact Theatre Workshop
: lordetalls.
0 TRAVERSE 112 West Bow, 226 2633. Box office Tues-Sun 10am—8pm. Bar. Rest. Tickets also available The Ticket Centre, 22 Market Street.
Yardsale Tue ll-Sun 16 Feb. 7.45pm. Theatre Downstairs. Econ/Stud members £3.50, Full members £3, Guests £4. Student standby £2.50 (members £2) 10mins before perf. The Traverse re-opens with the first in a series of plays performed by and about women. Jeannie Fisher in Arnold Wesker’s play about a middle-aged teacher deserted by her husband after 25 yea rs. Directed by Eric Standidge. Vita Tue 18 Feb—Sat 1 March. 7.45pm. Theatre Downstairs. Not Sun. Prices as above. A celebration by Sigrid Neilson of the extraordinary Vita Sackville-West. writer. gardener, gossip ofthe Bloomsbury Circle and extraordinary woman. Presented by Focus Theatre Company (Scotland) in association with Lavender Menace BookshOp. played by Polly Wright and Barbara Robinson and directed by Jules Cranfield.
TOURING
0 Hard Times TAG continue to tour
a ‘
their new production of Stephen Jeffreys‘ adaptation for stage of the novel by Charles Dickens. (See Review). Queen Margaret Union. Glasgow Thurs 6 Feb. 7.30pm. 0357 29411; Third Eye Centre, Glasgow Fri 7 and Sat 8 Feb. 7.30pm 041 332 7521; Bonar Hall, Dundee Tue 11 Feb. 7.30pm 0382 23181 x 650; Students Union Theatre, StAndrews Wed 12 Feb. 7.45pm. 0334 74610; Aberdeen Arts Centre Thurs 13 Feb. 7.30pm. 0224 635208; Biggar Theatre Workshop, Com Exchange, Biggar Sat 15 Feb. 7.30pm. Tinto 426; Carluke High School, Cam wath Wed 19 Feb 7.30pm. 0555 72302; Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street, Edinburgh Thurs 20—Sat 22 Feb. 7.30pm.031225 3614. 0 Beneath One Banner 7:84 Scotland begin a new tour of Sean McCarthy's new play set in a Scottish pit-town in the 18605, where a strike calls up and questions the divisions between the Orange and the Green. Directed by David MacLennan with a cast of five Scots and five Irish actors. Cumbernauld Theatre Thurs 13 and Fri 14 Feb. 7.45pm; StAndrews i School Theatre, Clydebank Sat 15 2 Feb. 7.30pm; Lyceum Studio, . Edinburgh Tue 18—Sat 22 Feb. : 7.30pm. 0 Tour continues. For details of tickets telephone 7:84 on 031 557 2442.
TARTUFFF .
a '\ _ I
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Those with little Latin and less Greek
AN:
resoundineg when Organ and Tartulle sign Orgon’s newly amended will in
may wonder why a translation should be mock celebration of their ill-iounded simplified and then confused by putting ; friendship. Their conversation
the French through English into Scots.
end? But this is not to have seen the
production . In hertranslation,
Liz Lochhead has made the language
integral to the play , even the key to it. She has kept the rhyme oi the
original. Why maintain this apparently
, the ear anticipates action. Like igniting a trail of combustible powder which runs
i l
out-moded convention? Because when verse is good it seems to come oi Itsell, and because it seems natural, what is said , convinces. The other advantage oi verse is that the rhythm it conveys to
through the ideas and themes of the play, you light the blue touchpaper at
5 the beginning and it propels ltsell. The set is a quasi-religious presence,
at huge central organ. lt peels
g drowned as they kneel lacing each other, seemingly llat cut-outs in the
E dimmed lighting, they mlmethe
transaction in one dimension-an
; allegory of the nature of the depth ol
their feelings for each other.
In a line cast directed by IanWooldrldge
and Colin Macileil, Andrew Dallmeyer
’ is especially enjoyable as an unctuous
and oozing Tartuiie. He makes Moliere
é merge well with the Scots temperament
fand identities are not spared. Nor is there
; anything out-dated about its theme at
! hypocrisy and exposure. This not least
i on the opening night, coming as it did
on the evening of the resignation ol the Secretary for Trade and Industry, topically trans posing a leaking, driven Brlttan into a rhyming couplet hlmsell. (Sally Kinnes)
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