THEATRE LIST
EDINBURGH
O ADAM HOUSE THEATRE Chambers Street.
The Man Who Came to Dinner Until Sat 13 Dec. 7.30pm. £2.50(£2). Tickets available [fisher Hall Box Office (228 1 155) and theatre one hour before performance (225 3744). Edinburgh (iraduate Theatre (iroup in a comedy for Christmas by Moss
I Iart and George Kaufman.
O ASSEMBLY ROOMS 54 George Street.
Alien Punks v Santa Mon IS—ch 17 Dec 7.30pm. £2.50(£1.50). Tickets from Usher 1 Tall Box Office. 228
1 155 and Assembly Rooms. Party bookings tel. Ben Twist (556 8897). In which Santa encounters two punks from outer space. The Merry Mac Fun Co — See Third Eye Centre. (ilasgow.
Stair Wars Sun 28—Tue 30 Dec. 7.30pm. £1 .50(75p). Ticketsin advance from \\'ester’ 1 Iailes Festival Association. 442 3063. \Vester IIailes Festival Association in their Christmas show which bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain movie sequence. See Wester IIaiIes Drama Centre.
0 BEOLAM THEATRE 2 Forrest Road. 2259893.
0 BRUNTON THEATRE Musselburgh. 665 2240. Box office Mon—Sat 10am—8pm. Bar. [1)] [E]
Robinson Crusoe'l‘hurs 11 Dec—Sat l7 .1an.7.3(lpm. Mats 2.30pm (tel box office for details). £3.80 ( £3); £2.51) for all seats on mats and Mon eve. l2 and 30 Dec already sold out. Ron Coburn Productions bringtheir annual panto to the Brunton with Coburn himself playing the children's favourite. Bammy Sammy. who this time finds himself caught up with Robinson Crusoe. Man Friday er (1]. Music by Ken Haynes and Douglas Brown. Suitable for 5—14 year-olds (and the young at heart).
0 CASTLEBRAE STUDIO Castlebrac High School. Craigmillar.
Santa Comes to Town t’ntil Sat 13 Dec. Tickets from Margaret Paton 661 5877. In which ()ueen Nastazia. a wicked queen (loosely based on a well-known political figure) forbids Santa to come to Craigmillar one Christmas. and the kids get together to foil her plans. See Review.
0 CHURCHILL THEATRE
Morningside Road. Tickets usually available from Cruikshanks the Newsagents. opp the Theatre.
The Imperial Nightingale Until Sat 13 Dec. 7.30pm. Sat also 2.30pm. £2. £1.50(Students.()Al’s.1313411s) £1 (children). Tickets available usual outlets. The Mercators in a stage adaptation by Nicholas Stuart (iray ofthe tale by Hans Christian Andersen about freedom as the Emperor of China wonders whv the nightingale whose song he loved in the wild won't sing when he keeps it in a Golden Cage.
Red Riding Hood Wed l7—Sat 27 Dec. 7pm (not 24 and 25). Mats 2.30pm on 20. 26. 27 Dec. £2 ( reductions of 20p on every ticket in parties of 20 or more). The Edinburgh People‘s Theatre (iroup in their annual. usually sell-out panto. directed this year by Maureen Cochrane. and
LOSING VENICE
When first shown at the Traverse Theatre a year and a half ago, John Clifford's award-winning comedy about a decaying Empire (Spain) ‘rescuing’ a small principality (Venice) from the ‘threat‘ of the Turk had a more than topical ring. Now, though shades ofthe Falklands still linger. it’s much easier to appreciate the broader canvas ofthe play and Clifford’s ingenious deliberate echoes of the drama of the Spanish ‘Golden Age’ itself to create his mixture of fantasy, politics and ideas.
Clifford paints us a semi-real society on a tilting axis, where decadence is tipping over into sterility and, in the generous scope of the play from the speculative to the burlesque sometimes uses the staging itself to weave in questions about creativity. Here an iron duke (Andrew Wilde), who only understands the world-including women— in terms of battlefields, is despatched by his desperate wife and his decrepid King to make war on Venice — basically to get him out of the way. He takes with him Ouevedo, his disenchanted poet, who in his turn wages war on reality with words he finds inadequate — both the man of the pen and the man of the sword repulsed by the earthy realism of procreation and the warmth of real feelings (unlike Pablo (Simon Donald), the servant, who is more feeling and very little intellect). On arrival, however, Pablo and Duevedo discover a lost state of a different kind, which the Duke’s subjugative ego cannot comprehend. Dermot Hayes’ design uses the larger
3*
space of the Lyceum Studio to house a two—storied set—a bright wooden-slatted palace, giving a sense of light and space and on this Jenny Killick’s production, tightly choreographed and controlled, moves with great pace. Bernard Doherfy makes a wonderful dour poet, Kate Duchene a crisp, schoolmistress of a Duchess and Ralph Riach a thoroughly decayed monarch and the whole thing bubbles along with tremendous warmth and imagination. But despite a wonderful cameo of the Doges, dismally trekking in search of their bedroom in the recesses of the palace, and despite the much lighter production, it still seems to lose weight and cohesion somehow in the second half. The new venue means anyone can go though—try it and see. (S.H.)
7pm. Sat mat 2.30pm. £2.50(£1.50). Cones available also for parties. The Netherbow Theatre Co in a Christmas show by Shiona 1.iddle —- an adventure story following the exploits of the legendary boy hero Finn Mc( ‘ool and his band of Fenians.
warriors of myth. See Review. StarTrip Mon 22—ch 24 Dec. 7pm. £2.50(£1).NetherbowYouth Theatre on a Christmas-time journey on the Starship Compromise -— a production written by .lohnni Stanton and involving music. comedy and characters of the ilk of Captain Cork and Doctor Spark
0 ODEON FILM CENTRECIcrk Street. 667 7331.
Robert Halpern livery Sat night. 11.45pm. Doorsopen 11pm.£2.50. 11alpern in his late-night hypnotism show.
0 PLAYHOUSE 18 22 (ireenside Place. 557 2590. Box ()fficc Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. Bar.
Smith and Jones Sat 13 Dec. 8.30pm. £5.50. £6.50. £7.50. Mel and (iriff Rhys. fresh from T\' success. on stage.
The Muppet Show Tue 30 Dec—Sun 4 Jan. 2pm (30. 31 Dec: 1.2. 3.1an): 7pm (30 Dec; 1.2Jan);7.30pm (3 Jan): 2.30pm (4Jan). £5. £4. £3 ( £1 off prices for children under 14). Well-known frog-features and co. live (1’) on stage.
Fiddleron the Roof \vetl 7—Sat 24 .lan. 7.30pm (7—10. 13—17. 20—24.!an): 2.30pm(8.10.15.17.22.24.1an).
featuring the unusual character ofa good wolf. Suitable for 5 years and upward.
O KING'S THEATRE 2 [even Street. 229 1201. Boxoffice Mon—Sat 10am—8pm. Bar. Rest. [1)] [El Cinderella Until Sat 21 Feb. 7pm. Matsat 2.15pm. £6. £5.50. £5. Cones for()AI’s. Children. UB40s. Disabled. FIS. half price on some days: parties of ten or more 20’; discount. Check for details. Rikki Fulton and Walter Carr play Cinderella‘s uncomely siblings in the panto with the inside story on how princes choose their spouses. See Review.
0 LYCEUM STUDIO (irindlay Street. 2299697 ( Lyceum Theatre Box Office).
Losing Venice l‘ntil Tue 33 Dec. 7.30pm. Sat mats 2.30pm. Tickets (available Royal Lyceum Box Office: 2299697 10am—8pm and Traverse Theatre Box ()ffice. 226 2633 10am— 10pm except Suns (12noon— 10pm) and Mons when theatre closed). £4 ( £2.50 Student. ()AI’. Child. L'B40). NB These prices available to all the public. No need to be a member of the 'I’raverse: none of the usual prices apply. The Traverse Theatre with a new production ofJohn Clifford's highly successful Losing Venice.
0 NETHERBOW 43 11iin Street. 556 9579. Box office Mon—Sat 10am—4pm. 7-9pm perfevgs.
Cafe. [E]
The Magic Whistle lintil Sat 20 Dec.
£4.51). £5.51). £6.50. Cones: £1 off Tue—Thurs; Mats: two for the price of one: Parties: one ticket free in every ten bought. Bill McCue‘s new company. the Scottish Singers. in association with Scottish Opera. in the much-loved musical. starring Una McLean alongside McCue himself. 0 ROYAL LYCEUM (irindlay Street. 229 9697. Box office Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. 10am—8pm on perf evgs. Bar. Rest. [D][E] ('I‘heatreSaver cards cost £1 . last all year and are available to ()Al’s. UB40s. Students. disabled. under 24 railcard holders. YTS scheme and children under 18. They enable you to bring a friend for £1 off also). Alice in Wonderland Until Sat 10]an. 2pm ( 13. 20. 26. 27.31 Dec: 2and3 .Ian): 3pm (22. 23.24. 29. 30 Dec): 5pm (20. 26. 27. 31 Dec; 2 and3 Jan): 7pm(12-—17.19.22.23.29.301)ec: 5—10.lan); 8pm (20. 26. 27 Dec: 3 .Ian). £3.50—L‘5.50.'I’heatreSaver Holders £1 off and concs also available fo'r children. schools and family groups (please contact theatre). The Lyceum‘s traditional Christmas show 0 ROYSTON/WAROIEBURN CENTRE I’illon. Snow White and the Eight Dwarfs Thurs 18and Fri 19 Dec. 7.30pm. 50p (25p). The Centre‘s annual panto. featuringJR. Is he the extra dwarf. one wonders ‘.’ O SILVERKNOWES PRIMARY SCHOOL Muirbouse (Tickets from Muirhouse Festival. 8 2 Muirhouse Drive. 336 3934). Aladdin and the Dragon Mon 15 and Tue 16 Dec. 7.30pm. 50p. Cones available for families. The .\luirhouse Festival Society's first-ever panto. a commmunity project in which Aladdin goes on an adventure to China. Plenty of music and participation. three pandas and Chinese dancing performed by local people from the Chinese community. 0 THEATRE WORKSHOP 34 I lamilton Place. 226 5425. Box office Mon—Sat 9.30am—5.30pm. Bar. Cafe. [1)] Baba Yaga and the Magic Doll 1.'ntil Wed 31 Dec. £2.81) ( I; I .511). Schools l’erfs 1— 20 Dec; I’ublic I’erfs 20—31 Dec: 10.30am (22 and 23 Dec); 1pm (22and23 Dec): 2pm (20. 24. 26.27. 29—31 Dec): 5pm (26. 27 and 29. 30 Dec); 8pm (20. 22. 23. 26. 27. 29. 31) Dee). Theatre \Vorkshop‘s Christmas Show adapted by Anne Downie from a traditional Russian fairytale: the story ofa young Russian girl. Raisa. 0 Theatre Workshop will be doing a new performance project in Feb 1987. The first meeting happens on 5 .1211). See ('itylist for details. 0 TRAVERSE THEATRE 112 West Bow. 226 2633. Box office Tue—Sun 10am» 8pm.13ar. Rest. 'I'icketsalso available from the Ticket Centre. 22 Market Street. The Silver Sprig L'ntil Sun 21 Dec. 7.30pm. Also 2.30pmon 13. 14.20 and 21 Dec. Non-members £4.50: licon members £4: Full Members £3.50; Cones £2.50 ( non-members). £2 (members). A fairytale of good and evil. weaving in elements of ancient tales. and set in the Kingdom
22 The List 12 Dec — 812m