FESTIVAL REVIEW
FESTIVAL THEATRE
explored the corruption of both society and human relationships. focussing upon the connections between sexual fulfillment and the darker obsessions ofdeath. The Oxford (‘ollegc Players. pare down this poetically rich and complex text to the barest outlines ofits structure. in order to fill the requirements of time and space. This is a pity . as the absorbing acting. particularly of the three major characters. l-‘lamineo ( l’icrs(iibbon ). Bracciano ( David Venables). and Vittoria (Michele Monks). merited a fuller and more satisfying treatment of the text.
However the cast rose to the occasion and responded to their material in a way that makes this production well worth seeing. The show clearly marks the arrival of an accomplished company of actors. (Nicola Robertson)
I White DEVil ( )xlord (‘ollcgc l’laycrs. liestiv al (‘lub(\'enue 3b). 220 2278.17ntil3 Sept. (not
THE KISS
Adapted from classic
movie scripts by director
[an Dewar. The Kiss isa celebration of five femrnes tatale.fickleand fragile
of the cinema. Sarah l lotston. who performs alone with celluloid images of five hunks ofthe
s‘ily er screen. portrays the
wide-eyed naiver ofJulie l larris with as much
cony ietion as the sensualin of Monroe and 'l aylor. and she links the set pieces smoothly with w ell-choreographed renditionsof Monroe's
songs. using her changes
ofcosturne to extend the characterisations. In the
course of an hour ( not the
2” minutes advertised). we relive five great scenes ('I'cnnessee Williams. \\ ht) arguably wrote better women's speeches than
Shakespeare. contributes
two). but despite effective staging and a slick performance in the face of first—day distractions (loud hammering from upstairs and an uncooper ativc dress). one is left rather
Kent. Masonic Lodge (venue ~11 ) 225 729-1. [Intil 3 Sept (not Suns 21 & 28 Aug). lllam. £3(£2)
LIZARD
Jane l’ace is dubbed a ‘difficult child'. An orphan who has been sent to St Anthony's (‘onvent Boarding School. .lane l’ace is victimized by the nuns and her schoolmates alike.
The cast of fourteen. accompanied by the haunting voice of (‘atherine Smith. are all (bar one) from (iodolphin School. The play by Susan llill. written for radio. is here adapted and directed by Mick liitzmaurice. the drama teacher at the school.
Reminiscent of'l‘.S. Iiliot's ‘Murdcr in the Cathedral. the chorus of schoolgirls persecute Jane l’ace with chanting scorn and encircling spite. From this powerfully realistic beginning. with strong performancesby the
schoolgirlJanc Pace and
her supernatural echo
TRIPLE
exposure
lllllllllll lll
llllllllll lllllllllllll llllSlllllll
AS EMBLY ROOMS,
(Faye Webberandl’olly l 0 p m
Moore). the play crosses
Tues). 0pm. £3 (£2.50)
LATES W
wondering why bother reproducing these pieces out of context: perhaps the idea will appeal to
$4-GEORGE STREE'I’, EDINBURGH AUGUST llth - SEPTEMBER 3rd (not 15th)
fantastic. A thigh bone on
THE RETURN OF THE NEW PREVENTERS
While Penelope (iold. Craig Sturdy and Mike Stallion think they are involved in international crime-busting (in the style ofthe Avengersor Danger Man) it transpires that they are merely pawns in arch-villain Max Rupertson‘s bid for world
movie buffs. but it smacks to me of indulgence. (Andrew Burnct ).
I The Kiss (‘inema
'l‘heatre ('ompany. lleriot
Watt 'l'heatre (\‘enue 7) 22‘) 3574. l'ntil 3 Sept (not Suns). l l .3()am. £3(£2).
JUST LIKEA WOMAN
This ‘lintertainment about Women‘ is a conventional look at women as represented by the likes of Elizabeth I.
the beach. a dead priest. his forbidden love and an
.
; intothe realmsof the
l
underwater city.dislocate the play and cast it adrift
in a sea of improbability. The switch from the visual (the girls‘ school) to
the aural (the dead priest beckoninglane l’ace in a
voice-over) is too drastic
on stage. although
Natasha Pollard as the
frail and ancient Sister limelda does much to bridge the gtilf between the ‘tight taps and tidiness' world of propriety and the wondering. abstract
. ' . .‘ supernatural dl’mmdlm" mm??? m” Dorothy Parker and some SmuglmclKristina orbital satellite [LpSllOll B. gut-L. hm {mm Ali“. W()(')lnmlgh)
The parody of Sixties‘ TV programmes is often cleverly observed and sent up and is backed up by an elaborate audio-visual display.
However on its first night at the lleriot Watt Theatres it was quite plain that the show was not ready for performance. Over-written and grossly under-rehearsed. it entirely lacked pace. The basic idea has wit but with the combined experience of Morwenna Banks. Robert llarley and Chris England. it is very sad to see the confidence ofthe paying public so poorly rewarded. (Sandy
RlChiirde) show. women behave like way, - ‘ A I lTheRetumoltheNew Indus. r~ . r... PreventersThc Com . .. - . ' .' ‘ o ‘ _ ~ ' pensation for the T k f ' I
:LCVC“leggigf/g’bwau 10am start isprovidedin
calm-- ~~ ("CWC thcformofcoffceand 4’ ’ I i .' r i 7).2293574. Until2llAug “0552mm WWW, Q3811 S BOX ., 1C8 , thcn22—27Aug.3lAug—3 Burdwcn) ‘ v 2:», ‘t' i . . ‘- 2 22:5 Sept-6pm~i4-50(£4) IJustLikeAWomanFaith ‘ v "'54; "" '
Walker. Prose and poetry alike are beautifully spoken and presented but the most interesting items are in the second half—— an amusing monologue said to have been performed by lillen 'l‘erry to promote the Suffragette cause and a touching yet vivid memoir of Waterloo by a young wife.
Strident feminism is all right if historical. Faith Kent invites our admiration for the suffragettc martyrs btit deplores the behaviour of those modern women who ‘shout noisily on top of boxcs'. In the drawing room atmosphere of this
I Lizard in the Grass. ('ompany Theatre. Festival (‘lub (venue 36) 2202278. 15—2] Atig. 30 Aug—.3 Sep 2pm. £3 (£2) [l‘rl
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIi
TICKET
OFFERS PAGES 81 AND 83
a”
The List 19— 25 August 1988 25