FESTIVAL REVIEW
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I Catharsis Bristol Revunions. Theatre West End (venue 126) Until 27 Aug. 3.15pm. £2.50.
IIIIIIIIIII TRASH
'I'rash is by far the most complex piece of writing 'l‘ic Toc's Jon (iaunt has written todate. Set in a nightmarish Britain of the future. where homosexuality is illegal. the Welfare State has finally been stamped out and the unemployed are outlawed. it uses the format of a sUspense thriller to articulate a theme of class struggle in the New Right's day of success. It's a cynical play. which concludes that while human decency is the ultimate value. the conniving will inherit the earth. The least self-centred character is the one who suffers the most in this vision of Thatcherite self-reliance gone wild.
With loud glam-rock music. some of it performed live by founder member of King (remember ‘1.ove and I’ride".’) Mike Roberts. inventive visual effects and clever. energetic staging. it has much of'l‘ic 'I’oc‘s old magic. but is somewhat flawed: there are some distinctly ropey moments in the plot. (which revolves around an accidental abduction); there is too much unnecessary verbiage: and there are times when the writing becomes too stilted to carry its argument (which now and then sounds like Das Kapital for teenagers).
I’d have preferred to see a more concise and accessible performance in which energy. once generated. is not undermined by wordiness. It‘sa thoughtful and intriguing play. but may lose Tic'I‘oc some of its established following. (Andrew Burnet)
I Trash Tic Toc. lleriot Watt Theatre (Venue 7) 22‘) 3574. L'ntil 3 Sept. 7.30pm. £4.75 (£4.25).
disease which is the result of having fucked too many countries. “is delivery is as fast as an L'zi sub-machine gun. miss one joke and you will be hit by the next.
Like Skint Video Lippman uses pop tunes as a vehicle for much of his satire and his material is excellent. L'nfortunately a one man show suffers w hen It is barely outnumbered by the audience. A few more people could make this one of the best political shows on the fringe. (Nick Dudley)
I Committee To Intervene Anywhere Chaplaincy Centre. (Venue 23) Until 2 Sept. 'l'imes \ ary. £3.50 (£3).
IIIIIIIIIIII DANNYANDTHE DEEPBLUESEA
Lonely people take huge risks in their desperation to reach other people. because they can‘t make the day -to-day compromises on which easy communication depends. The author of .llmmslruck presents a couple who find it more difficult to accept a compliment or gesture of love than get involved in a fight. This is a much more adult version of themes explored in that film and. while often violent. reaches for something y ery tender and romantic. The man and woman who meet in an empty bar are powerfully played by Jonathan Luria and Iiloise Marion. It is not always possible to believe that Danny is a man ‘the guys at work call ‘the Beast'. but the play argues back. Are you with Danny in believing that you can make things be the way you want them or like Roberta and accept the past as proof of how the future must be'.’ (Norma Bordw ell). I Danny and the Deep Blue Sea 'I‘R(i RepertoryCo. Moray I louse l.’nion (Venue 108) 5565184. L'ntil 27 Aug. (not Suns). 2pm. £3.50(£2.50).
—' THEDEAL
COMMITTEE TO INTERVENE ANYWHERE
American foreign policy often seems to be a rather black joke. David Lippman takes this reality and exaggerates it only slightly.
Dressed in a grey suit and shades Lippman takes on a tour of the world as seen by Ollie North and other sufferers from ‘Pentagonorrhoea' a
Karen. a cold and ambitious post- 'I‘hatcherite ‘loan agent'. thinks nothing ofholding her clients' indispensable ID cards as security. so why should her husband object to taking in a psychiatric patient to shorten his term ofhorne imprisonment? But Frances' arrival showers a gradual chaos on their cosy fantasies of prosperity.
This painfully black
comedy devised by its cast
l
FESTIVAL THEATRE _m_
is K4 1
of three and efficiently directed by Mike Morrison is a watertight and oppressive piece of speculation about privatisation of our health and prison services. The dialogue is crisp. the characterisations convincingly whole and the theme well dramatised. 'I'hc confined space at Canongate Lodge. decked out in plastic inflatables. serves the play w ell. emphasising the characters' longing for escape and the dehumanising tensions brought about by a callous computer bureaucracy. See this show if you can laugh and worry about your future at the same time. (Andrew Burnet ). I The Deal I'pstart 'I'hcatre. ('anongate Lodge ( Venue 5). 556 1386’. 14-27 Aug. 12.30pm. £3.50 (£2).
FOOTSTEPS TO THE MOON
In a bombed out mental hospital the ex-inmatcs have all their wits tested trying to survive a 7 year war. After 5 years they are still chanting the usual propaganda slogans about glory and patriotism but time erodes their trust in a world that had rejected them. They meander around a Jonathon Martin type of landscape attempting to justify continued existence and a good reason for the Continued war. Life gets so mad elsewhere that a soldier defects and joins them. Rod Anderson‘s songs underline key moments of anger and resentment. belted out to hide the despair. The chanteuse. the prostitute. the nurse turned murderer
Trash
are human flotsam and know it; all played with powerful defiance and crazed energy. The eternal dregs ofsociety keep looking for the moon as their saviour. I’aul I’rescott's script offers no new ideas about war. but human suffering pushed beyond sanity is chilling and painful. ('I‘ineh Minter)
I Footsteps to the Moon Camellia Productions.Festival Club. (venue 36). 220 2276‘. L'ntil 3 Sept. 8.20pm £4 (3.50).
FROM MY POINT OF VIEW
With six productions on show this year. Steven Berkoff's visceral harangues at the social diseascsof British culture have become firm I-‘ringe favourites. In adapting one of the earlier short stories for two performers. Volcano 'I'heatre Co. bypass any soft options and go straight for the theatrical jugular.
I’ntisually for Berkoff. From My Point of View focuses squarely on the experience of women. Though the material itself is not wholly original -— women as the victims of oppressive sexual and social double standards -~ the poetical force ofthe language and the uncompromising physicality ofthe performers make short shrift of feminine stereotypes.
I‘ern Smith and Steven Fisher attack the text with magnificent energy and discipline in a punchy choreographic style that makes this a thoroughly
worthwhile production. (Simon Bayly)
I From My Point OIView Volcano Theatre Company. Mandela Theatre (Venue 79). 652 0312. Until 3 Sept. 11am. £2.50 (£2).
LICENSED TO LOOK ILL
Equipped with all the wizard inventions that Q can devise — a salad dressing that can be used as a speedboat. a contraceptive that barks— Bond emerges to take on a new mission. to ‘sort it out. do a bit of windsurfingand shag a few foreigners'. IIis enemy: Svetlana Morrissey. Mr Glidrose and the Church ofthe MLISB (the Massive Underground Submarine Base). Mr Glidrose is preparing to lure the entire world to a prayer meeting in Australia and rob them ofall their money. confident in the knowledge that ‘there‘s one born again every minute'.
In their welcome return to the Fringe. Cliffhanger hilariously develop the Bond myth and endow the weary 007 with a late 80s' conscience. a single
mother girlfriend and Emotional Commitment- but fear not. aficionados. for here too are your favourite chase scenes. seductions and showdownsl
Cliffhanger hit top form again in a show that should have Cubby Broccoli rushing to sign up the film rights. (Sandy Richardson) I Licensed to Looklll Cliffhanger. Assembly Rooms (venue 3). 226 2427. Until 20Aug. 9.30pm. £5.50 (£4.50)
MAMMON
A top female biochemist embarks on some unusual experiments with cybernetics. and manages to produce a rol Lt“. name of Mammon. programmed solely for the pursuit ofprofit.
So far. so good. Mammon duly amasses millions on the stockmarket. but the biochemist can’t resist the temptation of findingout what will happen ifshe endows Mammon with sexuality and Lust Mode 691 is accordingly programmed in.
The results are hilarious. Robert Llewellyn lusts. leers and undulates as the manically lecherous robot. to the horror of Deb‘bora. his shocked creator. It all
v becomes a rather absurd.
and extremely funny parody of male sexual hang-ups. Even the man created by a woman. says Llewellyn with heavy irony. can't resist using dishonesty in personal affairs as the last bastion of male power.
A vast range of male stereo-types. familiar to us all. come in for attack in this light-heartedly feminist piece. (IIelen Davidson).
I Mammon-Robot Born of Woman Llewellyn“Deb‘bora. Assembly Rooms.(Venue 3). 226 24278. Until3 Sept (not 25 Aug) 2pm. £4 (£3) Not suitable for children.
IIIIIIIIIIII OXYGENHOUSE
()xygen I louse. established last year to produce lunchtime theatre. bring us a vibrant triple bill. with two irresistible vignettesof (ilasgow life by author of A Wholly Healthy (ilasgow. Iain IIeggie. Ruby ( 1 leather Jackson) and Kelly (Dave Roylance) procrastinate on Anne Marie's1)ad's doorstep. plucking tip courage to follow Anne Marie's idea of askinghim for 50p for the poor. which she will batik for them. In the crude and lively Waiting For Shuggie's Ma. Crus (Martin McCardie) and Stu (Mickey Macl’herson) look out for Shuggie's Ma in her red coat amongthe black dots entering the building 34 floors down. while fantasising about what she'll do to their bodies and baitingthe Boys Brigade.
Robert Ilolman‘s Making Noise Quietly is an ambitious piece set after the second World War exploring cowardice and cruelty through the interesting triangle ofthe mentally retarded Sam. who. abandoned by his Mum. refuses to try to speak: the jilted soldier husband whoalternately caresses and beats him; and the challenge posed to them by the German Jew who suffered in a wartime camp. Angie Rew. who directs the former pieces excellently. is not wholly convincing. but overall disturbing images prevail. (Ness Raison)
ITriple Bill ()xygen House. The Edge. 557 6010. L'ntil 27 Aug(not Suns) 7.30pm. £2 (£1 ).
IIIIIIIIIIII PARHICIDE
The programme notes for this play describe the author as having been a drop-out. a drug addict
The List 19— 25 August 198817