THEATRE LIST
St Brides Community Centre. Orwell Terrace. Edinburgh Mon 25 Apr. 7.30pm. 031 346 1405: Leith Community Centre. Kirk gate Centre. Edinburgh Tue 29 Apr. 7.30pm. 031 554 4750: Graigroyston ( ‘ommunity Centre. Pennywell Road. Edinburgh Wed 30 Apr. 7.30pm. 031 332 7360. Tour continues.
Piai TAG Theatre Company in a new production ofthe play by Pam Gems about the legendary singer and her tragic. vivid life. Terry Neason plays Piafand the production is directed by Ian Brown. See Panel. For further
details please tel TAG on 041 429
2877. MacRobert Centre. Stirling Tue 22-Sat 26 Apr. 7.30pm. 0786 61081. Tour continues.
3 The Puddok and the Princess Theatre
Alba revive their successful production of David Purves’ delightful play about an uppity puddok (aka frog) who. with a mixture ofcharm and bombast. inviegles his way into the affections ofa princess.
For further details please tel Theatre
1 Alba. c/o Edinburgh Assembly
THE ENTERTAINER
On tour.
As the country lines with Fifties nostalgia, it’s interesting to see another side at the coin. John Osborne’s ‘The Entertainer’, set in 1956, depicts a Britain lost between eras, dowdy, and nostalgic ior the security at decaying lmperialist
values. Dsbornetransmits this air oi
quietly desperate cynicism through Archie Rice, a iading music-hall comedian, whose apparently unieeling, brutally comic exchanges
with his iamily are iramed by uniunny
music-hall sketches, where his tawdry gags rellect the state oi the nation through the superiiciality oi crass humour.
It was an inspired decision on the part oi the Byre Theatre Company to cast Jimmy Logan as Archie. Compromislng
his own ability to be iunny, Logan
makes his comic sketches iall dismally ilat- proioundly disarming ior the audience, as the original intended, and
; paving the way ior his eventual moving
sell-revelation as a man ‘dead behind
; the eyes'. It is a mature, painiully ? ambivalent periormance with Logan
beginning to illustrate what he could do as a ‘straight actor’, and he is well matched by Joseph Grelg as his solid, sanctlmonious iather. Other periormances, however, are less assured and overall, Adrian Reynolds‘ production is sadly lacking in the pace and imagination that could have liited it into something really illuminating. (Sarah Hemmlng).
Rooms on 031 226 2427. Village Hall. Ullapool Mon 21 Apr. 7.30pm. 0854 2103‘. Farr School. Bettyhill Tue 22 Apr. 7.30pm. Bettyhi11217: Lyth Arts Centre Wed 23 Apr. 7.30pm. 095584 270; Biggar Theatre Workshop Fri 25 Apr. 7.30pm. Tinto 246: Greenock Arts Guild. Greenock Sat 26 Apr. 7.30pm. 0475 23038: Bonar Hall. Dundee Tue 29 Apr. 7.30pm. 0382 23181 x 650; Chambers Hall. Peebles Thurs 1 May. 7.30pm. 031 226 2427. Tour continues.
There is a Happy Land 7:84 Scotland in a co-production with the folk group Ossian. telling tales of Highland history through dramatic episodes written by John McGrath based on the stories told in Gaelic and Highland songs. (See panel). For further details please tel 7:84 Scotland on 031 557 2442. Church Hill Theatre. Edinburgh Fri 25 and Sat 26 Apr 7.30pm. (Tickets available from Usher Hall Box Office and Canongate Music); Denny Civic Theatre. Dumbarton Mon 28 Apr 7.30pm; Strathaven Town Mill Theatre Tue 29 Apr 7.30pm: Mews Theatre. Livingston Wed 30 Apr 7.30pm. Tour continues.
Writer’s Cramp Borderline Theatre Company open a new touring production of the play that set John Byrne on the road to fame — his hilarious portrayal of the life of painter/poet Francis Sepeca McDade. This production features Pat Doyle. Brian Pettifer and Andy Gray. who has already distinguished himself in previous Borderline comic productions. Directed by Morag Fullerton. For further details please tel Borderline on 0294 79648. Cumbernauld Theatre. (,‘umbernauld Fri 25 and Sat 26 Apr 7.45pm: Lyceum Studio. Edinburgh Mon 28 Apr—Sat 3 May. 8pm. Tour continues.
Elsie and Norman’s Macbeth In which
. Elsie and Norman Grimethorpe. a
couple blessed with outrageous Bad Taste and a touch of Upward Mobility. reduce Macbeth to a farce
; in their very own living room. Els and Norm (alias Jan Shand and John
Grex of Bristol Express Theatre
Company) play all the parts.
complete with cups of tea. beans on
toast. negligees etc. The humour
isn‘t quite sharp enough to stay the length. but it‘s a harmless way to pass an evening. and students of the dread play will be tickled pink. Thomas Morton Hall. Ferry Road, Leith Thurs 17 Apr 7.30pm. 031 225 2424 (Eileen Rae). Triangle Centre, Pilton. Edinburgh Fri 18 Apr 7.30pm. 031 332 5764 (Barbara Orton). Briggait Centre. Clyde
. Road. GlasgowSat 19 Apr 8pm. 041
552 5827 (Sue Triesman) or 041 552 3970.
The Entertainer Jimmy Logan plays
the cynical ageing music-hall comedian in the Byre Theatre‘s touring production ofJohn Osborne's play. (See Review). Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock Until Sat 19 Apr 7.30pm. 0563 23590; Eden Court. lnverness Mon 21-Sat 26 Apr 7.45pm. 0463 221718; His Majesty ’3. Aberdeen Mon 28 Apr-Sat 3 May 7.30pm. 0224 638080.
GLASGOW .
0 GLASGOW ARTS CENTRE 12 Washington Street (opp Holiday Inn). 221 4526
Cheryl Strong begins a new session ofclasses for the summer.
Beginners Technique Mondays 7.30—9pm.
Periormance Group Mondays 5—7pm (anyone interested in joining the Performance Group which is open to all levels. should contact Cheryl on 221 4526).
Intermediate Technique Tuesdays noon—1.30pm.
Periormance Group Tuesdays 130—3.30pm.
Beginners Technique Wednesdays noon—1.30pm.
Intermediate Technique Wednesdays 5.30—7pm. Classes from £1 (some have to be bought in blocks) or free to GAC members. Membership is £5 (£3 cones).
f EDINBURGH ; Periormance O LYCEUM STUDIO THEATRE Cambridge Street. 229 9697. I English Dance Theatre Tue 22. Wed 23. Thurs 24 Apr. 7.30pm. Changing
DANCE LIST 4
l 1 Shape (chor. Robert North). ' Petrushka (chor. Yair Vardi). The Junction (chor. Yair Vardi). Fri 25. Sat 26 Apr. 7.30pm. Dreaming the Blues (chor. Kim Brandstrup). Jackie‘s Dream (chor. Yair Vardi). Petrushka (chor. Yair Vardi). Work: Force (chor. Nicholas Burge) Sat 26 Apr. 2pm. Romeo and Juliet (chor. Nicholas Burge). Evening performances £3.50 (£2.50 TheatreSaver Cards). Mat £1 .95.
i
i O LASSWADE HIGH SCHOOL Bonnyrigg.
g Periormance by Lothian Youth
5 Group Spring Sat 26 Apr. 7.30pm.
Classes
0 BODYTALK FITNESS CENTRE Lothian House. Semple Street. 228
I 2426.
Beginners Ballet with Carolyn Gavin (ex Basic Space) Fridays 6.30—7.30 and Sat 2.30—3.30pm. £1.75. £1 .50 cones. All welcome.
0 YWCA 7 Randolph Place. Information from Roundabout Centre.556 1168.
Chinese Folk Dance Class Every Tue
; 4.30—7pm. Free. Open class. all
i welcome but not suitable for young , children.
ENGLISH DANCE THEATRE
A a.
Lyceum Studio, Edinburgh
3 Three years ago English Dance Theatre i
hardly lived up to its name with only one dancer and an administrator. In stepped Yair Vardi. Today, under his directorship, there are seven dancers (eight it you count Vardi) and a proiessionat back-up team based at Dance City, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, one oi the country’s newest centres ior teaching dance.
The company does not oiten have the luxury oi using the centre as their touring schedule adds up to 40 weeks in the year. This spring’s Scottish visit
began at the Mitchell Theatre in Glasgow and will end in Shorts. Vardi 1 states in the programme that he is
‘striving to bring dance to the widest possible audiences around the country.’ The varied venues are evidence at that.
But after the periormance at the Mitchell last month you couldn‘t help ieeling that this desire iora wide audience captured, but did not captivate the way it might.
The evening opened with a piece choreographed tor the company last year by Robert North (ex Ballet Rambert). ‘Changing Shapes’ moved to the music oi Talking Heads in a series oi duets, trios and larger groups. Ballet and contemporary shapes were laced with robotic streetdance.
Petrushka, an old story with new choreography by Yair Vardi tilled the middle slot. Costumes echoed Bakst, the baddies in black (one with cloak and the other with dagger) and the goodies in white and pink. Like a silent movie (with all the attendant over-acted expressions) the dance plays out the eternal love triangle until the weaker suitor is crushed by his opponents.
The dancers come together in pony-tails and shorts in a iinale danced to the sounds at big band. Well, Manhattan Transier. Though the music left you with something eminently hummable, all in all it was an evening which was proiicient but left you with nothing to take home.(Alice Bain)
'rhetssiis}{EFn—-is1ay11