V NEW PLAY
Trevor Stuart likes psychiatry. He even began a university degree in medicine before dropping otit and switching to science. Ever since. he‘s spent much spare titne reading books on the subject and swapping learned anecdotes with his brother. a
professional analyst.
But Trevor Stuart is an actor. And while the real thing eludes him. he
can at least pretend to be a
psychiatrist. Just back from a very successful two-week inaugural run in Australia. Stuart is convinced that he‘s found a role he could be doing for the rest ofhis life. In Taboo. the latest from Lumiere and Son. he can
indulge his alter-ego while
sending-up an overly powerful
profession.
‘It started off last year as a comic turn.‘ he explains. ‘and now I've made it into a full-length theatre piece. l'm dissecting psychiatry and looking at what is taboo in this supposedly global village in which we live. I can‘t be totally scandalous or I’d be arrested. but I try and make sex and death humorous. There is a serious speech at the end. but I'm under the influence of drugs. so it's not that serious. I talk about death in a fairly explicit way which most
comedians don't.‘
I mention (ierry Sadowitz and Stuart agrees that Scotland's crudest can he very funny. ‘I laugh a lot at him.’ he says. ‘but I don't know why he‘s so angry. I find him a little uni-dimensional. But he is definitely a stand-up comic and this is a theatre piece that uses the techniques of
stand-up comedy.‘
Following the company tradition of stretching comedy to its blackest limits. Stuart promises some patent Lumiere lighting effects and a previously unseen collection of slides. And happily his one hour show costs a good deal less than the same time with your average shrink. ‘People can come to me for one hour and they’ll be totally cured.’ he laughs. ‘You go to (ierry Sadowitz and come out feeling ill. you come it rne and come out feeling well.‘
(Mark Fisher).
Taboo is a! the Third Eye ( 'emre. Wed 9- Thurs ] (I May. 9.30pm.
V NEW PLAY
Breaking up isro do
‘The thing about doing monologue shows,‘ says Marcella Evaristi, ‘is that you've got to be so economical. And at the same time, you can‘t be schematic, you can‘t sort ol tell the story. That‘s why comedy is so important. What my writing does when it works (or me is get the audience going in terms at a sort of wincing recognition; which is both
tunny and sore.‘
A veteran writer/actor ol one-woman shows (including The Works in 1984 and Visiting Company in 1988) Evaristi is using the word ‘sore' a lot. Her latest monologue is called The Ollski Variations, and as its name suggests its theme is ‘maior partings‘. Unlike Visiting Company, in which the wile at a Tory councillor has to step in for him to give a speech on arts policy (‘she tucks up. basically‘), the new show involves a number 01 dillerent characters. ‘I started all saying “I‘ll do whatever comes, and I‘ll inhabit different people“ and then I thoughtl wanted some through-line, and I spent sometime writing stull and then seeing what connections were there.‘
The theme at lovin’ and leavin‘ was what emerged. ‘I suppose it’s a truism,‘ says Evaristi, ‘but what you seem to remember are the painlul things. I'm looking at emotions that aren‘t nice and times when you don't feel like a nice person. These are sore stories of leaving, and the importance
ol whetheryou leave or are left. Again,
it’s like sore things that are lunny. But then there’s also the wonderful feeling at going, at walking out—some at my characters go Ottski. It’s easy to be civilised when you're the one who‘s walking out, and you’ve got to be honest about that.‘ (Andrew Burnet) The Ollski Variations is at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 15-Sun 20 at 10.30pm; Thurs 24-Sat 26 at 1 .30pm.
DERE- Linke-up
A directdescendantot German Expressionism, Linke lirst studied under solo performer Mary Wigman and went on to become director at the Folkwang School of Dance. Her intense style may seem old-fashioned to some — her prelerence for solo work itsell, could be construed as outdated — but she is one of a tew dancers who command respect from most quarters. She successfully unites her origins in the historic German dance tradition
with modern dance theatre.
0n herlirst visit to Britain in eight years, Linke perlorms Attekte, which arose out at a reconstruction ol Dore
Hoyer’s solo suite Altectos Humanos. Having admired the passionate work at Hoyer, who committed suicide in 1957, Linke revived the programme to which she added her own work dealing with the same themes: vanity, avidity, tear and love. Performing in duo with Urs Deitrich, the two select garments from a clothes rack, the only prop on a bare stage. Exuding strength and power, Linke embodies emotion whilst retaining a level 01 abstraction. Honest and precise, she is one dancer worth crossing Scotland tor. (Jo Roe) Susanne Linke will be performing at the Mitchell Theatre 14 May
THEATRE
H
MAYFET ‘ '
V CLASSICS
I‘lig my,
.. I,
LAGRANSCENAV
The burlesque drag company La (iran Scena ()pera are bringing their idiosyncratic rendering of the classics all the way from New York to the 'l‘ramway. An assemth of divas. marshallcd by Miss Sylvia Bills. will singtheir hearts out. in the original keys and languages. "The dragisa device to
accomplish what we want I to do'commentscompany
leader \'era (iadeloupe-Borszj. ‘which is a tribute to a performing style in opera. particularly of the great divas -- because there aren't any any more. Nowadays they all tend towards the bland. homogenised. recording-studio style. and there's nothing really to be said about them.‘ The show is essentially a good old-fashioned burlesque revue: all the
performers aretrained
singers. all brought upon
theold Metropolitan
Opera style. Vera is quick to point otit that it's not just for opera btiffs. ‘The way the show is structured. through Sylvia's commentary. you
learn a lot about all the singers. and a lot about
her. If yoti are
an opera person there is humour in the show that you will appreciate ifyou
are not then yoti will still find it funny.‘ The company are also
keentoestablishtheir
credentials as a
l performance force. and
.' jlistify the drag element as more than a camp
: sttperliciallly. ‘We‘re
simultaneously giving the
audience a lot ol laughs.
while celebrating something you just don‘t
see any more. We feel that
drag points tip both the comedy and the drama. I don't think oldtvas as much as women as creatures. l lllltl lllill the gender switch helps the pat‘odicslylc litttil'sttol the whole [mint We're not interested II] the sniping kind of drag style; we're celebrating the whole performance. It‘s a good-naturedshow we want people to come and see w ho's Ill the company rather than assuming thingsabout us '(Andrew l’ulver)
Lu (iron .81 end ()ln'm (‘om/m/tv. lrumnuv
Theatre. In 4 5mm limp
The [fis—t-Ti-NlTMay moms