Marcella Evaristl in The foski Variations
monologue about emotional departures. Comic and touching.
The Noise And Smoky Breath Show Tue 26-Sun 31 Mar. 71.30pm. Don't rnissthis lively cabaret—style show based on the collection of poems by (ilasgow poets and first seen at the Third Iiye Centre before Christmas. Irreverent and funny. the show. directed by Andy Arnold. also has pertinent things to say about the Cityof Culture.
lnlemo, Diary Of A Survivor Tue 2—Sun 7 Apr. 7.30pm. Mandela Theatre Company in a new play by Lance Hynn whose The [)0th was a great success last year. See preview.
EDINBURGH .
I CHURCH HILL THEATRE Morningside Road. 228 1155. Tickets available from Queens I Iall and L'sher I Iall Box Offices. Drama Wed 20—Sat 23 Mar. 7.30pm. The award-winning amateur company Edinburgh Theatre Arts makes a rare appearance.
The Cherry Orchard Wed 2.7—8.1: 30 Mar. 7.30pm. £3.50(£2.50). DiamondJubilee production by Edinburgh Civil Service Dramatic Society ofChekhov's social comedy set in the dissolving world ofthc Russian aristocracy at the turn ofthc century. See preview.
I RICHARD DEMARCO GALLERY 17‘721 Blackfriars Street.
Para/Para Tue 2» Sat 6 Apr. £4 ( £3 ). Seats limited to 40 per performance. (iiro Theatre presents a new play by James O'Brien Production might be rescheduled because ofillness. Please confirm details
on 5562160.
Glro Theatre in ‘Hltler', a previous production by James O'Brien
New Irish Reallties Conference Thurs 4 Apr. 10am-5pm. Taking place at Moray House College, Canongate. Free. A conference organised by the Ash Gallery featuring directors, artiste, critics, politicians and guest speaker John Arden, the radical playwright, who will be talking from about 3pm on the Gulf War, The Birmingham Six and the influence of censorship on his
writing. Details on 556 2160.. I HOLY CORNER CHURCH HALL
Morningside Road. Tickets available from
J. 8: A. Cruikshanks. 62 Morningside Road.
The HDIIDW Until Sat 23 Mar. 7.30pm. Sat Mat 2.30pm. £3 (£2). Agatha Christie murder mystery performed by the Edinburgh Players.
I KING'S THEATRE 2 Leven Street. 229 1201. Box Office Mon—Sat 10am—8pm. Bar. [Accessz PPA. L. Facilities: WC. W8, AS. E. (i. B. Help: AA]
Nabucco Wed 20—Sat 23 Mar. 7,30pm.
. WIHEATREW _
CABARET,
£3—£9. Verdi 's opera performed by Edinburgh Grand Opera. The Jungle Book Mon 25—Sat 30 Mar.
Mon—Fri 2.30pm. Tue—Sat 11am. Parasol
Children's Theatre in a puppet rendition ofls'ipling‘s classictales.
The Arcadians Mon 25~Sat 311 Mar. 7.30pm. Sat Mat 2.30pm. £2'—£6.50. Southern light Opera Company in the evergreen musical by Lionel Monckton and Howard Talbot.
Driving Miss Daisy Mon l—Sat t» Apr. Mon—Fri 7.30pm. Sat 5pm and 8pm. £3.50—£7.50. First national tour ofthc stage version of Alfred Chrys hit film starring 'I‘enko's Stephanie Cole asthc stubborn back seat driver who is softened by her chauffeur's patience.
I LIVINGSTON MEWS THEATRE I Iowden Park Centre. IIowden. Livingston. 0506 33634.
The Lemmings Are Coming Fri 29—Sat 31) Mar. 7.30pm. £3 (£2.25). Hard-hitting comedy about unemployed (ilasw'egians heading for the bright lights ofLondon. Performed by RC1. Theatre.
I LORETTU SCHOOL THEATRE Musselburgh. 665 3776.
Cuttin' A Rug L'ntil Fri 22 Mar. 7.30pm. £4 (£2). The second in John Byrne’s Slab Boy's trilogy about working life in Paislev is presented by the Pageant Players. I I NETHERBOW ARTS CENTRE 43 I Iigh Street. 556 9579. Box Office. “lam-4.30pm. 7—9pm pert. evgs. Cafe. [.Access: R. Facilities: WC. WS. Ii. Ci. 1%. R. Help: A. AA] Edinburgh Puppet Festival slim 17Sat 2? Apr. Return to action by the Netherbow after renovations. The puppet festival is mainly aimed at children (see Kids
Section). but there is an adult
performance at the end.
I TRAVERSE THEATRE 112 West Bow.
(irassmarket . 226 2633. Box Office
Tue- Sat lllarnwb'pm. Sun 6A10pm. Bar. Rest. Tickets also available from the Ticket Centre. Market Street. [Accessz St. Facilities: Ii. Ilclp: AA].
A Night Of Gentle Sex Comedies t'niil Sun 24 Mar. 7.30pm. £5 (£3 £2). Theatre Positive + bringstogetheraselectionof new and established short comedies by Iain Ileggie. Part of the takings w ill goto
Scottish AIDS charities. See preview.
lnlemo Diary Of A Survivor Wed 27~7Sun31 Mar. 7.30pm. £5 (£3 £2). SeeTron Theatre above and preview.
TOURING .
This section lists shows that are touring
Scotland. There is a phone numberforeach company should you require more
inlorrnation. Unless otherwise specified. the
numberahereach venuelistedisthe
i telephone numberfortlcketenquirieslor
E that particular evening (please note, this is
not always the venue number).
I From Glasgow To Saturn A space voyage
of discovery as TACi take its through a
dramatic adaptation of Iidwin Morgan‘s
poetry. DirectorTony(irahammixes
drama. dance, video and music in this
. science fiction vision ofcontemporary
Cilasgow. More details on 041 4292877.
lie/shillCultural Centre. .lIor/rerwe/lSat 23
Mar. 7.30pm. (mos 67515.
l TAG's From Glasgow To Saturn.
AN'I'IIONY HRANNx‘kN
1 .Sporting Charity from Theatresports
FRIDAY 22 Edinburgh
I The Counting House l'pstairs. 32 2 west NicolsonStreet.6620781. 10pm.£4.50 (£3.50). Bar restaurant open allday. serving until 9.30pm — diners can claim £1 reduction on their cabaret tickets. find of the Line. the popular team ofstudent improvisers from Iidinburgh l'niversity. challenge you to suggest bizarre situations and unlikely objects to feedtheir imaginative powers. More tomorrow. See review.
SATURDAY 23 Glasgow
I The Comic Club Blackfriars. 45 Albion Street. Merchant City. 552 5924. 9pm. £4.5ll(£3.50). Baropen H.30pm—midnight. Another helping of local w it and wisdom from the Funny Farm and beyond.
Edinburgh
I The Counting House l'pstairs. 32 2 west Nicolson Street.66207ts‘l. lllprn. £4.50 (£3.50). Bar restaurant open allday. serving until 9.30pm diners can claim £1 reduction on their cabaret tickets. Sec Fri
FRIDAY 29
Edinburgh
I The Counting House L’pstairs. 32 2 west Nicolson Street. 662 0781 . 10pm. £4.50 (£3.50). Bar restaurant open all day. serving until9.3(lpm ~- diners canclaim£1 reduction on their cabaret tickets. Morose Irish stand—up Michael Redmond brings the thickest moustache in comedy to entertain the good folk of Iidinburgh. Sharing the bill is ‘baldy bastard' Fred MacAulay from (ilasgow‘s Funny Far m. Another chance to see them tomorrow night. Worth checkingout.
Michael Redmond
SATURDAY 30 ?
Glasgow
I The Comic Club Blackfriars. 45 Albion Street. Merchant City. 552 5924. 9pm. £4.5(l(£3.5ll). Iiitropcn
H.3l lpm—rnidnight. (ilasgow ‘s comics turn
out for another evening of wiseeracks.
Edinburgh
I The Counting House t‘psiairs. 32 2 West Nicolson Street. 66211781 . lllpm. £4.51) (£3.50). Bar restaurant open allday. servinguntil9.30pm dinerscanclaim£l reduction on their cabaret tickets. See Fri 29.
SUNDAY 31
' Glasgow
I They're Making That Up Blackfriars. 45 Albion Street. Merchant City . 552 5942. S30pm for 9pm. £4. Scottish stand-up regulars Parrot and Fred MacAulay join forces for another dose of tree-form fun. As w ell as a guaranteed 40 minutesot improv isation (and more 11 the mood is right l. they '11 be trying out some of their latest material and maybe introducing a guest or two.
Seen at The Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh on Comic Relief Day.
What do you calla group of philosophers? A ponderence perhaps? Judging bythis show, a more likely collective noun is an improthon. Most of the cast in the show, the seventh of thirteen which Theatresports presented astheircontrlbutlon to Comic Relief, had a philosophical bent, aesthetics, sociology and metaphysics abounded. lt may be pretentious but, as regular attendants to student reviews will be aware, it could be worse. Any attempt to get the English Lit students off the stage must be applauded.
And even though the performers had been going for twelve hours when I saw them (with twelve more to go), applause was by no means absent. Several of the cast (most notably the Americans) displayed a genuine gift for improvisation. Naturally, with student review being a genre where the most vocal, but not necessarily the most talented, gravitate to prominence, there were also periods of unremitting boredom.
That reservation aside, the familiar series of games and sketches were carried off with commendable polish. There was little of the traditional student habitof falling about laughing at the slightest wltticism from another member of the cast nor much recourse to high brow literary analogies—the last refuge of the struggling student comic. A fun afternoon was had by the minlscule audience and, even if it had not been in a good cause, lwouldn'l have resented paying the £2 entrance fee.
The company is now on a prolonged Easter break (which they wlll
probably sleepthrough). Comethe
return in mid-April they may be rejuvenated enough to present more of the same and that would be worth seeing. (Philip Parr)
50 The List 22 March — 4 April 1991