FESTIVAL REVIEW
a Oamuffi n
ISLE-OF'SKYE
ORIGINAL CLOTHES AND KNITWEAR
We’re OPEN 10am — 6pm Mon—Sat (Sundays
dunng Fesflvah
WE ACCEPT MAJOR CREDIT CARDS
We are the rage of angels
276 CANONGATE ROYAL MILE, EDINBURGH Telephone 031 557 6007
antiquity. Sue Lenier has given her characters an extensive vobabulary through which to unfold this parable on the mating game. She also allows the woman to speak in a
' beautifullystructured verse which gives a hint of
the skill which has won her
previous books of poetry international acclaim. Sue l.enier's first play. Knightfall. was performed to critical acclaim at last year's fringe and the members of Sex War Theatre have brought a fitting sequel vividly to life. (Ron Aitken) I Eden Song (iateway Exchange. \‘enue 7‘). 652 0312. to Sept 3. 2. 15pm. £3 (£2).
GODS OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Although Gods ofthe Midnight Sun is advertised as a play in two parts. only the first - Frost ('lu'ldrmr — will be showing. Since both plays consist ofa series of discreet stories adapted from Kevin (‘rossley-l lolland’s The Nurse Myths. this does not really matter.
We are treated to tales ofcomedy. adventure and
romance in a world populated by gods. giants and dwarfs. Although the characters may seem
What’s on 1988-
e offer a huge choice of evening and
day-time classes for anyone who wants to further his or her knowledge of a particular subject. We teach 18 different languages, and a wide range of topics in music, the arts, creative writing, psychology, finance, local history, the sciences — more than 200 different courses to choose from. For full Course Programme — phone or send in coupon now. Typical cost £20 per 10 week session. 0 Ps 25% off. UB40’s 50% off.
Courses available at other locations in Strathclyde Region.
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
Tel (041) 330 4394. 24 hour answering service or (041) 339 8855.
To Dept 1L-D.A. C. E, 59 Oakfie/d Avenue, Glasgow (3 12 8LW.
Please send me 1988/9 Course Programme |
Name (Block capitals please)
\ A ‘ ddress \
\ \ \
9 003°}; “
b—————————_—_————J
unfamiliar. their quests for beauty. wisdom and immortality are the perennial themes ofthe folktale. Some stories inevitably work better dramatically than others. but on the whole this Norwegian-British company make full use of the facilities at Buster Brown‘s — dry ice. strobe lighting and spooky music — to create a magical atmosphere. (Kasia Boddy)
I Gods of the MidnightSun Company of Wolves. Buster Brown‘s (venue 60) 2264224. L'ntil27 Aug. 3pm. £3 (£1 .50)
THE WHITE WHORE AND THE BIT PLAYER
Two women who are also the same woman experience a lifetime in flashbacks during the ten seconds it takes to die from hanging. The white n’hOfC is a Monroe-styled film goddess who ‘never quite made it'. With her profound vulnerability shielded by overt sensuality. she is exploited at every turn and unceremoniously dumped. The bit part player. dressed as a nun. is both a minor character
' from an unspecified
drama and a figure from the whore's past in orphanages and present in an asylum. lnevitably confusingowing to its kaleidoscopic structure. Tom liyan‘s play of frustrated ambition and misunderstood sexuality is given a perceptive and moving interpretation in John Moulton Reed's lively and well balanced production. Both actresses give vivid and courageous performances. and the women‘s relationship has been clearly understood and explored.
It’s a depressingand complex play. but well worth seeing. (Andrew Burner).
I The White Whore And The Bit Player Northern Production ('ompany. Playhouse Studio ( \‘enue 59) 557 3807.13ntil3 Sept. 2. 15pm. £3 (£2.50)
— POORLY PIG
What an odd play this is. Just as you've settled into a gentle story of Second World War first romance. the passing of youth and the growth into self-confidence. the play takes an audacious leap into a surreal l980s where 1970s fashions are worn and adults act like children. Or should that be children act like adults'.’ I'm not at all sure. but such blatant exhibitionsof imagination are to be encouraged. The Northern Production (‘ompany have a streak of originality that can't be ignored. Yet for most of the production the all female cast present us with a simple. well-constructed. confidently acted period piece -— the sort ofthing they're always doing on Radio 4. They hint at a good car for language and a subtle sense ofhumour. but give no idea ofthe idiosyncratic - and very funny — vision with which the play climaxes. ln dramatic terms this isa limitation — I nearly persuaded myself that I‘d accidentally walked into a double bill — but on any other level it‘s intriguineg enjoyable. (Mark Fisher) I Poorly Pig Anna Giro And Mrs O‘Connor. Edinburgh Playhouse Studio(Venuc 59)557 3807. Until 3 Sept. 4pm. £3 (£3.50).
FACETS 0F EVE The Fringe spirit of individualism lives on at The Edge where Firenza Guidi performs four short plays by Dario Fo and Franca Rame with all the
FESTIVAL THEATRE
comic master's \ erve and sharppertinence. liach piece explores man's inhumanity to woman: the graphically condensed tragedy of abandoned Medea. the blank alienation of‘.\lonologue ofa prostitute in a mental hospital'.
l’o‘s boisterous wit. ingested by (iuidi in his theatre workshops. is pungent in ‘l-'.ve's [)iary’ where lzve is the intelligent namer of things and Adam a dim. hominid destroyer of(’reation with a Devil-fixation that leads to a Boccaccio—like subterfuge and the ‘lall‘ of live. ‘Alicc in \\'oritlc‘r'lc‘ss Land is I.ewis ( 'arroll rcfashioned as a hilarious tale ofgirlish daydreaming imperilled by the pornographic White Rabbit and the turnescent props of a very male ‘\\'onderland‘ w here ‘dicks‘ grow on trees. liven the (‘hcshire (’at tries to mount Alice. The
. Knight in armour who
I l
rescues her from the thrusting mushrooms (but also vanquishes her magic fridge) is no saviour and has a grim iI glamorous fate in store' for her. Both Alice and live lose their perfect worlds with brutal speed. l-‘ircn/aguidi‘s selections from Fo are bleak in their view of human relations but never sombre ironic.vivid texts and a strong performance from an actress who ranges confidently from the slapstick to the statuesque. (Simon (iooch)
I Facets of Eve l-‘ircnza (iuidi. The Iidge Theatre. (Venue 1 If»). 5576010. L'ntil 3 Sept. hpm. £2.50 (£1.50)
BLIND MAN’S BUFF
William. blinded in a firework accident. tries to connect the past with his new life. Iiarlier memories were always recorded in visual images. but the present is boundcc by sound alone. He throws out things which are now incongruous. a football for instance. and relives key moments in his life. evaluating hirnselfas he casts offthc layers. The passions and frustrations of a repressed childhood are recalled. flashbacks being simply indicated by a lights change.
Mark Tyler gives William dignity and courage as he remembers conversations with his hectoring father and weak mother. For William's parents he falls easily into a lower register orthinner tone. In this he speaks for
18 The List 2— 15 September 1988