THEATRE LIST
scarineg moving performance of Franz Xavier Kroetz‘s one-woman play. A silent. beautifully and sympathetically observed exploration ofan evening in a lonely woman's life. Don‘t miss it.
Harvey and the Wallbangers Sat 25 Apr. Ill..‘~llpin. Prices as for Request l’rogrtmmzt'. last chance to see tItese I-‘ringe favourites. making their final tour with their blend of swing. jazz and comedy. Sec (itlesllist.
It‘s Not the End of the World Tue 28 AprvI-‘ri I May. Spm. I’riccs as for Request Programme. 'I‘heatre Workshop ( Iidinburgh) in their touring production of Jack Klaff and Bob Sinfield‘s new comedy which explores the question of whether nuclear arms are illegal under international law.
': ' '="“i‘im“““fié°‘£itb -: antic WWORLD ’. .
ls nu ear war illegal? Gordon and Sarah think It is and they alm to prove It In the highest courts In the wortd.
What is International Lavf?
Can it be enforced?
There's only one way to find
"Tremendous vigour, humour & committemenr“ - The Guardian
ruuns. 23 m : TRIANGLE CENTRE, PILTON
FRl 2‘ m : BRUNTON THEATRE, MUSSELBURGH SAT 25m
TOWN HALL, PENICUIK TUES. 28 MARCH ~31. 1 MAY: TRON THEATRE, GLASGOW
F RTHER INFORMATION: 1)) 225 7942
FOR m3
534! V0
Scottish Arts Lobby
FUTURE POLICIES FOR THE ARTS A RALLY
MOIR HALL, MITCHELL THEATRE, GLASGOW
Speakers
Robert McLennan MP (All) Michael Hirst MP (Con) Mark Fisher MP (Lab) Helen Davidson (SNP)
‘VOTE FOR THE ARTS’ Organised by SALVO,
Scottish Arts Lobby 031 228 3885
EDINBURGH
O BRUNTON THEATRE Mussclburgh. 665 2240. Box office Mon-Sat Illam—Spm. Bar. [1)]
It’s Not the End of the World Fri 24 Apr. 8pm. £3.5(l(£2.5(l). Edinburgh 'I‘heatre Workshop visit the Brunton with their touring production of a new comedy by Jack Klaff and Bob Sinfield questioning whether nuclear weapons are illegal under International Law. See Touring.
O CHURCHILL THEATRE
Morningside Road. Tickets usually available from (‘ruikshanks the Newsagents. opp the Theatre.
No No Nanette tJntil Sat 18 Apr. 7.30pm. £2.50. child £1 .50. The SMYCMS present the musical by Caesar. I Iarbach and Youmans.
O CORNERSTONE CAFE West Iind. Princes Street.
0 Greenpeace Cabaret (‘ornerstone (are. West Iind. Princes Street. 'I'hurs 33 Apr. 8pm. £2 (£1 ).
WAR MEMORIES
King's Theatre. Edinburgh
There will be a touch of nostalgia for Eric Standidge when his production of ‘Not About Heroes‘ comes to Edinburgh (King's Theatre, see Listings) nearthe end of a fifteen-week nationwide tour— itwas here that his original production of the play won a Fringe First Award. Thatwas five years ago. Since then Stephen MacDonald‘s two-hander exploring the meeting between war poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen at Craiglockhart Hydro has been televised and. recently, revived at the
NationalTheatre. Nevertheless,
Standidge has very firm reasons for reviving it himself: ‘lt‘s been seen in Scotland and London, but not anywhere in between really.‘
He feels there are a great many plays that fall into the same bracket, and to this end he has founded, along with Joanna Hole, an independent company called Co-Producers, whose main purpose is to mount high quality touring productions, working in co-operation each time with a main repertory company sharing the budget. The present production was co-produced with Oxford Playhouse and first shown there before touring the large venues in Britain which more usually play host to the tacky commercial fare that finds its way onto thetouring circuit.
Standidge sees it as a mutually beneficial policy, allowing subsidised theatres a touring facility they could otherwise not afford. While some technical restrictions will inevitably be involved. the policy is to devote the budget to the production itself, avoiding artistic compromise: ‘We‘re not intending to make a profit—we just want to cover our overheads.‘
With this particular production, Standidge has been faced with the task of directing what was initially an intimate studio play for a large stage and auditorium. ‘It is quite different from the original production in Edinburgh. There have been several cuts, made by the author, and it has a much smoother line—originally itwas
Admission on the door. A cabaret in aid of Greenpeace Environmental 'I‘rust. Artists appearing include alternative comedian Dave Marsh. the jugglers Nervous Circus. Swing‘tS‘7 Jazz Band. the folk band Scotch Snap and the (‘ountry and Western duo Annie Foy and Alan McDowell. BYOB. Food and soft drink forsale.
0 KING'S THEATRE 21.even Street. 2291201. Box office Mon—Sat Illam—Spm. Bar.[[)|[1j]
Andrea Chénier tintil Sat 18 Apr. 7.30pm. {BSD—£7.50. [Edinburgh (irand Opera in the Scottish premiere of(iiordino's opera. See Classical Music.
NotAbout Heroes Mon 3H Sat 25 Apr. ".fwllpin. Sat mat I..‘~llpiii. t4. £4.50. ()AI’. student. t 'IHfl. children. disabled £1 off l'ue. Wed. l'hurs. .\Ion eve and Sat ntal all tickets L3. A production of Stephen \Iztc‘l)oll;tltl\ play about Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred ( )wcn. directed by lidw ard
may]
more staccato. It‘s much less intimate —whereas before it was largely Sassoon remembering Owen from his past, this time there is a much more direct approach to the audience.‘ It is a completely new production in every sense. the two poets played by Paul Shelley and Michael McGrath (in the original production, the author himself played Sassoon). Standidge worked closely on the play with MacDonald, who was fascinated by what happened to Owen during his stay in the hydro. ‘Owen had written poems earlierthat weren‘t really that good. In the hydro he met Sassoon. then went back to the war and is now regarded as one of the most important poets ofthe war. Obviously something happened to him in that short period that gave him the growth to become a poet, made him blossom into the greatest war poet of thatwar.‘
The answer MacDonald findsis in the inspiration and encouragement he found in Sassoon, the older poet. In the
Standidge. who directed the original I-‘ring First winning production. See panel.
Princess Ida Tue 28 Apr—Sat 2 May. 7.30pm. Sat mat 2.30pm.
{Jill—f; I .5”. Tue eve two seats for the price ofone: Sat tnat half-price for children and ()Al’s. ()ne free ticket with every ten bought at full price. The Edinburgh (iilbert and Sullivan Society. See ('lassical \Ittsic.
O NETHERBOW 43 High Street. 556 957‘). Box office [Dam—4.30pm: 7—9pm perfevgs.
Cafe. [D] |E|
The Edinburgh Puppet Festival Until Sat 18 Apr. ’I'he Netherbow hosts again the annual Edinburgh Puppet Festival with puppets of all shapes and sizes making an appearance. For full details oftimes ofshows please see Kids page.
The Heart-break Policy 'I‘hurs 23—Sat 35 Apr. 8pm. £2.50 (£1.50). Mark
play their conversations are invented by MacDonald, butbased on the writings of the two men, and the sense of communication between them and of finding words to deal with an experience incomprehensible to outsiders is basic to the play: significant notjust as an attempt to understand war poetry, butthe experience of all those who fought in thatwar.
‘People at home really didn‘t know what was going on and often didn‘t believe them,’ says Standidge. ‘When many of them came home they just didn‘twant to talk about it. The only people they really felt close to were their fellow soldiers. That's why many of them actually went back when they got leave — because the people they were closest to were the people around them there getting killed. That was all they had. So there developed this tremendously strong bond between them.‘
(Sarah Hemming)
18 The List 17—- 3“ April