THEATRE LIST
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Charity Performance Thursday 28th Jan. all proceeds to
Children’s Holiday Venture
GEORGE SQUARE THEATRE George Square. Edinburgh 23 rd to 30th Jan. 700% £2.50/225/2-00 Saf.23rd-50p
Wed. 27th- no perf.
Box office 031225 9893/6637 3704
THE QUEEN’S HALL Clerk Street, Edinburgh
THEATRE COMPANY
presents
SPY SOCIETY
Ol’ Burgess, Philby 8r Maclean (The Musical)
’It is one long laugh, original and slickly produced by this polished company.’ MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
Saturday 20th, Sunday 21 st & Monday 22nd February 1988, at 7.30pm
Box Office, Bar and Snacks open 6.30pm Tickets: £2.50 (£1.50 concs) Advance tickets from: The Queen’s Hall Box Office (031 668 2019) Mon—Sat loam—5pm; Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road (031 228 1 155) Mon—Sat 10am—5pm.
THE CITY OF EDINBURGN DISTRICT COUNCIL
DIMBM an A
IMPROVING SERVICES - CREATING JOBS
EVERY INCH A KING
ll zeal maketh the drama, then Edinburgh University Theatre Company’s King Lear (this year's choice lortheir annual large-scale production, opening at George Square Theatre on 23 January), is bound lor success.
‘lt’s been my favourite play for a long time,’ director Conall Morrison says in a deceptively throwaway manner. He is equally matter-ol-tact on the hazards of manipulating a cast at thirty around the ‘lecture theatre cum barn’ that is the chosen venue. Only on the nitty-gritty ot the play itselt is his enthusiasm unleashed.
‘It’s a brilliantly edited play, perfectly balanced, with a meaty, vivid, enthralling sub-plot. Really, three hours is short for the emotional journey which is made in the course of it. It doesn’t go at the rate of Miami Vice; the audience are forced to go at Shakespeare‘s pace. They should be sucked into it and spewed out the other end.’
Morrison considers the play ‘chillingly bleak and pessimistic’ and takes Peter Brook’s icy production as
his model. He makes it more the tragedy of one man, ‘lt‘s about the abuse of power; to get the scope of the tragedy you have to show that lots of people get shat upon, and suffer, and die.’
With an impressive record at EUTC productions to his credit, and a year as writer and director with the Craigmillar Festival Society, Morrison still agrees that his youthful team may be considered ‘cheeky’ tor tackling this most demanding of plays. However, as
CHRIS HILL
James Eastaway as Lear.
James Eastaway, who plays Lear, says, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. He has taken four months out of his 4th yearot medicine to concentrate on the role.
More concerned with putting across Lear's stature and powerthan his age, Eastaway ‘won’t be going for lrailty.‘ His one concession will be donning a lalse beard. Facing the part which has tested many well-seasoned actors he has the quiet composure of a man with a firm plan of attack. He is giving little away. ‘You have to approach the character in the way that feels right. It you are honest, you can do nothing more.‘
Morrison echoes his sentiment, ‘I do feel lucky, privileged to be animating the scenes I have read over and over again, and the actors are lucky to get the chance to play such plum roles. It nothing else, the love of it can pull it ott.‘ (Julie Morrice)
Savoy Opera in Gilbert and Sullivan‘s popular light opera.
Scottish Community Drama Association: Edinburgh Division Finals Wed 3—8211 6 Feb. 7.15pm. £2.50per evening. £9 forall plays. The annual community drama association competition gets under way. Eleven groups compete in these heats. from which the winner will go forward to the divisional final. followed by the Scottish and ultimately L'K Final. 'I‘hree plays are shown each evening.
Wed 3: Marble A rch by John Mortimer; Return to a City by James Saunders and Hewers of Coal by Joe Corrie.
Thurs 4: Sequence of Events By George McEwan Green; A Family Occasion by J. Glew and The Private Ear by Peter Shaffer.
Fri 5: Our Man by Daniel (.‘lucas; Still Life by Noel Coward and ()utfor the ( ban! by Martin Downing.
Salli: Better Days, Better K nigh ts by Stanley Eveling; 'I'he TrialofHarry Man by Michael Dines and Sherri Dawson by Anthony Booth.
I GEORGE SQUARE THEATRE George Square. University of Edinburgh.
King Lear Sat 23—Sat 30Jan. 7pm. Not Wed 27 Jan. Charity Performance Thurs 28 Jan. £2.50, £2.25 (unwaged). £2 (El/"If members). Sat 23rd all tickets 50p. Edinburgh University Theatre Company in this year's large scale show—a production of Shakespeare‘s masterpiece. See panel.
I KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 229 1201. Box Office Mon—Sat loam-8pm. Bar. [0] [El
Jack and the Beanstalk Until Sat 20 Feb. 7pm. Mats 2. 15pm on £4.50-£6.50. (‘oncs £2.50-£3.50. Jimmy Logan is Dame in his
ow n panto a Version of the old tale featuring the excellent L'na McLean as \Vondernan. The longest running of all the pantos and the sets are spectacular. I MANDELA THEATRE Gateway lixchange. 2 4 Abbey mount. (sol 0982. (ate and bar facilities during performances. Elsie Inglis: A Celebration Wed 37 Jan. 7.30pm. Preparations start this month for a community performance project celebrating the life and times of lilsie Inglis. the lidinburgh doctor who fought for the rights of the poor. Anybody interested in getting involved in any aspect of the production — design. acting. etc ~— is very welcome to come along. I NETHERBOW 43 High Street. 5569579. Box Office Ilium—4.30pm. 7-—9pm perf. evgs. (are. [1)]. Hi]. Conversation with Cairney i-‘ri 29 Jan. 7.30pm. £3. £4.75 including cold buffet supper afterwards. John Cairney. in a celebration of Robert Burns. talksabout his time playing Burns. A Night 0' Reivin Wed 3—Sat 6 Feb. 7.45pm. £3 (£2.50). A new theatre company— Katch 'l'heatrc — in their first production. a double bill of Scots plays both on the theme of reiving. the ancient Borders art ofstczrling. pillaging and generally plundering. Both (contemporary plays) are set in the sixteenth century but complement one another: We'll (1‘0 No More a-Ret'vt'n' by James Scotland is a comedy in which the womenfolk try to bring their reivin' husbands to order by denying them favours. while Liddesdale by Alan Richardson is a tragedy. looking at the serious side offeuding. I ROYAL LYCEUM Grindlay Street. 229 9697. Box Office Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. l0am—8pm on perf. evgs. Bar. Rest/Cafe.
18Thc List 22 Jan — 4 Feb 1988