THEATRE LIST
ofthe Blacksea Ensemble I ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND DRAMA 100 Renfrew Street. 041 332 5057. [Access: PPA. L. Facilities: WC. W5. AS. R. B. T. G. Help: A.AA]. Scottish Student Drama Festival Mon 3—Sat 8 Apr. See SSDFlistings. Alibi For Murder Mon 17—Sat 22 Apr. 7.30pm. Mats. Wed 2.30pm. Sat3pm. £3—£7 (£2). Northbank Productions present a whodunnit by Frank Williams. who was the vicar in Dad's A rmy. ccntring around a famous novelist in a small Sussex village. Starring Paul Darrow, alias Avon in 'I'V‘s Blake's Seven. I THEATRE ROYAL Hope Street. 331 1234. Box Office Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. (7.30pm on perfevgs). Bar. Buffet. [Access: P. PPA. R. Facilities: WC. W8. E. G, R.B. Help: AA]. Swan Lake Mon 3-Sat 8 Apr. London Festival Ballet. See Dance Listings. Mike Harding Sun 9 Apr. 7.30pm. £5—£8.50. Highly popular TV funny man with the big glasses in concert for one night onlv. I THIRD EYE CENTRE 350 Sauchiehall Street. 332 7521 . Cafe open Ham-2.30pm Tue—Fri and during evening performances. [Access: PPA. L. Facilities: WC. W8. E. G. R. B. Help: AA]. Playroon EA Thurs 13 Apr. 8pm. £3.50 (£2.50). Multi-media performance event from this recently formed Glasgow group ofartists. writers. filmmakers and composers. One ofa series ofparallel projects combining state-of—the-art technology and ‘primitive‘ intents to produce work that crosses the boundaries of music. dance. image and theatre. Reservations Thur 20—Fri 21 Apr. 7.30pm. £3.50 (£2.50). New show from Lancaster-based performance group Glory What Glory set in the foyer ofa grand hotel and mixing choreography, filrnic visuals and soundtrack from Communards' cello player Joycelyn Pook. Seen for the first time at last year's National Review Of Live Art. GWGjoin the rapidly swelling ranks of‘physical theatre' groups working with emotional and psychological game-playing through movement. I TRON THEATRE 63 Trongate. 552 4267/8. Box Office Tue—Sat Noon—8pm; Sun 1230—] 1pm. Closed Mondays. [Access: R. ST. Facilities: WS. E. G. R. B. Help: AA]. Scottish Student Drama Festival Mon 3—Sat 8 Apr. See SSDF listings. Oxygen House Triple Blll Tue 11—Sun 16 Apr. 7.30pm. £3. £4. The increasingly well known purveyors of lunchtime theatre in Edinburgh present three new plays which were very well received at their premiere a few months ago: Stations and The Eagle by David Ashton and Seeing Red byJimmy Begley.
EDINBURGH
I DEDLAM THEATRE Forrest Road.031225 9893. [Access: St. Facilities: WS. G. B. Help: AA]
No theatre performances this fortnight. I BRUNTON THEATRE Musselburgh. 665 3711. [Access: PPA. R. St. Facilities: WC, W5. E. G. B. Help: AA]
Ho Ho Nanette Mon 10—Sat 15 Apr. 7.30pm. Presented by Musselburgh Amateur Musical Association.
I GILDED BALLOON Cowgate. 225 3013/225 4463. See Cabaret Listings.
I KINGS THEATRE 2 Leven Street. 229 1201. Box Office Mon—Sat 10am—8pm. Bar. [Access: PPA. L. Facilities: WC. W8. AS. E, G. B. Help: AA]
City Lights Thurs 6—Sat 8 Apr. 7.30pm. Sats 5 & 8pm. £3—£6.50. Pure Dead Brilliant Productions in the successful stage adaptation of the highly popularTV series about the much put upon Willie Melvin. With Gerard Kelly. Andy Gray and [an McColi, the stage version isa laugh. whether you‘ve seen the TV show or not.
THEM THROUGH THE WALL
Seen at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, now touring.
The last time I heard an Arthur Scargill joke was in the support act to an oil-season stage version of the TV show, Mr And Mrs. That was five years ago. And it wasn’t funny then. That Liz Lochhead and Agnes Owens should consider Scargill to be worthy of a subplot in their new play suggests that they are living in another time and another place.
First television took elements of stage farce and turned them into sitcom. Now the stage takes elements of TV sitcom and turns them into Them
Through The Wall. in the absence of the
real thing, I found myself missing the canned laughter. Come back Richard Briers, all is forgiven.
It would be easy to try and blame the Cumbemauld’s production of the play,
but the seven performers are clearly acting their socks off, putting in much more energy and vigour than the play deserves. Their enthusiasm is such that your attention is held for nearly the whole of the first act as two families, the Grahams and the McGlogans, argue amongst themselves and between each other about things domestic. It is only when you realise that, despite the frantic activity, this
‘comedy’ has yet to make you laugh
that you begin to call into question the
play itself.
Lochhead and Owens have picked up on the surface sheen of farce or sitcom, but have failed to inform it with proper, unrestrained comic logic. It is notjust that the jokes are weak or dated (quips about health food in 1989?), but that the play lights shy of extremes. if a man is to be accused of infidelity he must be found with his trousers round his ankles. Finding him with his belt undone is as pathetic as it is unleasible. And if there is going to be confusion on the stage, the audience must know what is going on. Too often we are left as battled as the characters about slight double meanings or situations that are open to very little interpretation.
The result is that acting degenerates into shouting; tiresome quarrellng that exudes energy, but little substance. Fair enough "you’re only up to slouching in your armchair, but a dull night out at the theatre. (Mark Fisher).
The Music Man Mon 10—Sat 15. Apr. 7.30pm. Sat Mat. 2.15pm. £3—£5.50.The Bohemians Lyric Opera Company in an amateur production of the popular Meredith Wilson musical. featuring tunes such as ‘Seventy Six Trombones‘ and ‘Till There Was You”.
Wayne Sleep in Bits And Pieces Tue l8—Sat 22 Apr, 7.30pm. Mats Wed 19. Sat 22 2.30pm. £4.50—£12.50 (£2.50 off for cones). Sleep. once one of Britain's top ballet dancers, has become more ofan entertainer and now stars in his own show. I NETHERBOW ARTS CENTRE 43 High Street. 556 9579. Box Office . 10am—4.30pm. 7—9pm perf. evgs. Cafe. [Access: R. Facilities: WC. W8. E. G. B. R. Help: A. AA]
ASleep of Prisoners Thurs 6—Sat 8Apr. 7.30pm. £2.50 (£1 .50). The Edinburgh Rudolph Steiner school in Christopher Fry’s play.
Repeated Transmissions Tue 18—22 Apr. 7.30pm. £3 (£2). The much praised Oxygen House Theatre Company present the pick of their productions to date with the following four plays each evening: Orange Souffle by Saul Bellow. Heads & The Education of Skinny Spew by Howard Brenton and Sundance by Meir Ribalow. I ROYAL LYCEUM Grindlay Street, 229 9697 . Box Office Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. 10am—8pm on perf. evgs. Bar. Rest/Cafe. [Access: P, L. Facilites: WC, W5. AS.E. G, B, R. T. Help: A. AA]. (TheatreSaver Concession Cards cost £1 , last all year. give £1 off the full price each time you come for you and a friend — available to OAPs, UB40s. Students, Disabled and YTS scheme) Tickets for Lyceum productions are also available at the Ticket Centre, Waverley Bridge; branches of AT May‘s Travel and the Queen's Hall, Clerk Street.
The House of Bernarda Alba Fri 7—Sat 29 Apr. 7.45pm. Sat mat 22 Apr,3.15pm. £2.50—£7. FREE PREVIEW Thurs 6 Apr. A new translation by Scottish playwright John Clifford of Lorca‘s powerful play
about repressive sexual mores and the difficult life ofwomen in 1930s Spain. directed by [an Wooldridge. The first time the Lyceum company has staged Lorca since its formation in 1965. See Preview. I SPRINGWELL HOUSE Ardmillan Terrace. Gorgie. 337 1971.
Alive and Kicking Mon 3—Sat 8 Apr. This week the Gorgie/Dalry area holds a festival for older people, with events and shows bearing specially in mind the large number ofpensioners in the area. Events range from a tea dance to a ceilidh. from a musical to a massage. from a discussion on health to an exploration of Gorgie‘s City Farm. For details of other events. see the Open Listings.
Aggle's House &1-9-8-9 The Eon Of Olsovery Thurs 6 Apr. 7.30pm. £1 for both 50p (price includes tea and biscuits). Springwell House Kids Drama Group in a comedy in which an alien from outer space comes down to earth. and the new over-55 drama group in a play looking at older people‘s concerns.
Busted Wed 12 Apr. 7.30pm. £1.50(£1). Mandela Theatre Company in John McKenzie‘s new play. See Touring for details.
I THEATRE WORKSHOP 34 Hamilton Place. 226 5425. Box Office Mon—Sat 9.30am-5.30pm. Bar. Cafe. [Access: PPA. R. Facilities: WC. W8. AS. E.(i. Help: AA]
Big Al Wed 5—Sat 8 Apr. 7pm. Sat mat 2pm. £2.50 (£1 .50). Forth Children‘s Theatre in a musical telling the tale ofAl Capone.
I TRAVERSE THEATRE 112 West Bow. Grassmarket. 226 2633. Box Office Tue—Sat 10am—8pm. Sun ()-< 10pm. Bar. Rest. Tickets also available from the Ticket Centre. Market Street. [Access: St. Facilities: E. Help: AA]
Commotion! — Mime and Physical Theatre Fortnight'I'uc 28 Mar~Sat 8 Apr. times vary. Final few days of mime and visually orientated theatre — performances. workshops and residencies.
Bottom of the Garden 'i‘ue 4—Sat 8 Apr. 7.30pm. Nola Rae. one ofthe great
veterans of British mime. combining
mime. dance and puppetry in a new show dabbling in the world of fairies. fairy tales and A .‘lftrLsummr’r Night's Dream. Coming Home Thurs (FSiil 8 Apr. 9.45pm. Rick Zoltowski. who made a hit previously with his madcap Polish Count. invites you once again to tour his stately cupboard.
Clown and Circus Workshops for Kids Sat 8 & Sun 9 Apr. Rick Zowltowksi explains some circus skills for kids: Sat 8th.5—7 yearolds. lllam—noon. £2. Sun 9th.8—12 yearolds. 10am—noon. l—4pm. £4 forthe day.
BBBlfiCBTuc ll—Sun 16 Apr.7.30pm. £3.50 (£2.50).The feminist-orientated company Monstrous Regiment with the premiere of [an Brown‘s one-woman play exploring the story of 14th century Beatrice De Planissoles and her resistance to the Inquisition in the medieval French
town of Montaillou. The company‘s
breathtaking My Sister In This Home was one of the highlights of MayFest 1988. 246818 Your Husband Really Straight? Thurs 13—Sun 16 Apr. 7.45pm. £3.50 (£2.50). Brendan Nash in a newcomedy following the Gay Pride movement from the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York to the present day.
Scottish Student Drama Festival Tue l8—Sun 23 Apr. 7.30pm. £3.50 (£2.50). A selection of the new work from the 8th SSDF taking place in Glasgow. Showsto be presented this week are:
Tue 18: Heatand Luslloek ‘N‘ Doris in Baz Barclay's play in which a young Scottish singer gets involved in a feminist opera. Resisting Arrest—The Play(ing). Edinburgh College of Art group in ‘another seriesof whacky goings-on'.
Wed 19: Eternal Whispers Devised show from Langside College about a collection of legendary women gathered in a bizarre old folks‘ home. The Outiful Easy. Edinburgh University Theatre Company
Translated from Federico Garcia Lorca by John Clifford
THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA
A Theatrical Sensation! 7 APRIL-29 APRIL
NOWSHOWING Mon-Sat 7.45 pm
Matinee 22 April 3.15 pm (£3.00) (031) 229 9697
The List 7 — 20 April 1989 25