THEATRE LISTINGS
THEATRE
Theatre is listed by city, then alphabetically by venue. Touring shows are listed alphabetically by title at the end oi the
details reach our offices at least ten days before publication. Theatre Listings compiled by Mark Fisher.
DISABLED ACCESS KEY
Access: P = Parking Facilities. PPA = Parkingto be Pre-Arranged. L = Level Access, R = Ramped Access, ST = Steps to negotiate.
Facilities: WC = Adapted Toilet(s). WS = Wheelchair Spaces, AS = AdjacentSeats, E = Induction Loop System. G = Guide Dogs Allowed. R = Restaurant Accessible, B = Bar Accessible. T = Adapted Telephone.
Help: A = Assistance Available. AA = Advise Venue in Advance.
TICKET LINK
Tickets for major venues in Glasgow are available from the Ticket Centre, Candleriggs. Mon—Sat 10.30am until 6.30pm in person or until 9pm by phone on 041227 551 1. Sunday openingis noon-5pm. Any Ticket Link box office can sell tickets for other venues.
GLASGOW
I ARCHES THEATRE Midland Street.221 9736. [Access: P. L. Facilities: WC. W5, B, G. Help: A. AA]
Conquest of the South Pole Tue 4—Sun 9 Feb. 7.30pm. £5 (£3). Second production by one of Glasgow’s most promising companies, Raindog. After the success of last year‘s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
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SPRING PROGRAMME 1992
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section. Shows will be listed, providedthat ‘
Nest, the company gives Manfred Karge‘s brilliant play about the misery of unemployment an especially contemporary interpretation. See preview.
The Caretaker Tue 11—Sun 23 Feb (not Sun 16or Mon 17). 7.30pm. £5 (£3).The Arches Theatre Company pauses for thought with a production of Harold Pinter’s 1960 classic which, as a recent revival in London proved, has lost none of its power.
I CUMBERNAULD THEATRE Cumbernauld. 0236 732887. Box Office Mon—Fri 10am—6pm; Sat 10am—3pm; 6—8pm perf. evgs Bar/Cafe. [Accessz PPA, ST. Facilities: WC, W8. G, B. Help: A, AA] To Until Sat 1 Feb, Tue 4—Thurs 6 and Sat 8 Feb. Tue—Thurs £3.50 (£1 .50). Fri—Sat £4.75 (£2.25). Blythe Duff and Vincent Friel star in Jim Cart right‘s award-winning black comedy involving the running arguments bubbling under the surface in a local pub. Liz Carruthers directs.
Jump the Life to Come Thurs 13—Sat 15 Feb. 7.45pm. Thurs £3.50 (£1 .50). Fri—Sat £4.75 (£2.25). See Touring and preview. I EAST KILDRIDE VILLAGE THEATRE Maxwell Drive. 03552 48669.
Massacre at Glencoe Thurs 13—Sat 15 Feb. 7.30pm. £3 (£2). Patsy Wark directs
Chameleon Theatre Company in David Starsmcre’s play which uses drama and folk music to re-create an important chapter of Scottish history. I GLASGOW ARTS CENTRE 12 Washington Street, 221 4526. [Access: PPA. R. Facilities: WC, R. G. Help: A. AA] The Maids Wed 12—Sat 15 Feb. 7.30pm. £3 (£2). Jean Genct‘s erotic and abstract drama still has the ability to shock with its sexual cross-casting and its commentary on the moral coruption of‘civilised' society. Here it is performed by Actors Lab. Genet fans should note the student performance of The Balcony in Edinburgh later in the month. I KINGS THEATRE Bath Street. Box Office. Mon—Sat noon—6pm. 4 bars. Phone bookings. Ticket Centre. Candleriggs. see Ticket Link details above. [Accessz P. L. Facilities: WC. R. G. Help: A.AA] Cinderella Until Sat 22 Feb. 7pm every day (not Suns). 2. 15pm mats every Wed and Sat. Glitzy large-scale panto first seen in Edinburgh and said to be Stanley Baxter's last ever. The white mice turn into real Shetland ponies and there‘s a lot of attention paid to the telling of the story. I MITCHELL THEATRE Granville Street. 221 3198. Box Office Mon—Sat noon—8pm.
ARMS AND THE MAN
‘Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh. Until
Sat 8 Feb. Social etiquette is Iampooned In Shaw's anti-heroic comedy, in which realism challenges romanticism and the pretence of class is exposed as a sham. It is vintage Shaw, handled with purpose and humour by the Brunton Theatre, underthe new direction of Robin Peoples. There are faults certainly, but for a play written a century ago it is still remarkably relevant. Forget Bulgaria, this could be Momlngside, where appearances are kept merely to impress the neighbours and real events are coloured by romantic delusion.
it is entirely fitting that Peoples should have chosen to exaggerate the characterisation in a play which locates its meaning in the absurd: the soldierwho would rather carry chocolate than bullets; the uniformed Adonis who can barely write his name; the motherlor whom civilisation is an electric bell. Shaw had a lot to say, yet there is nothing polemical or contrived
aboutthe script, enabling the cast to explore the comic potential without tripping over their lines. The excessive posturing clearly takes its pitch from the Comic Strip school, and works surprisingly well, but where everything falls sadly flat- in the first half at least - is in the timing. A shame, as what should be farce is made impotent by its sterile pauses.
Much more is achieved in Act lll, as egos collide and the personas which Raina and Sergius have adopted begin to reveal the true likeness beneath. Stuart Bowman, Robert Paterson and Emma Currie as the ‘love triangle’ shine together, giving the play much needed impetus and a compelling inevitability. In composition some of the scenes could not be better, and there is a nice, if old-fashioned, sense of being able to witness various reactions simultaneously. There are moments when Shaw’s idealism threatens to embarrass us all - such as when Bitintschli declares himself to be of ‘the highest rank in Switzerland: a free cltizen’ - but nothing so obsessive as to undermine Shaw the entertainer. (Aaron Hicitlin)
Bar. Cafe. [Accessz PPA. ST. Facilities: WC. W8. G. R. B. Help: A. AA]
Babes in Arms Thurs 6—Sat 8 Feb. 7.30pm. Sat mat 2.30pm. £3.50. The Minerva Juniors take to the stage.
Babes in the Wood Wed 12—Thurs 13 Feb. 7.30pm. £4. Glasgow Eye Infirmary makes a late bid for the Christmas show market.
I PAVILION THEATRE 121 Renfield Street. 332 1846. Box Office Mon—Sat 10am—8pm. Bar. [Access: ST. Facilities: WS. G. Help: AA]
The Adventures of Aladdin Until Sat 1 Feb. £4—£7. 7.30pm. Disappointing. large-scale traditional panto. weak on jokes and shoddy on costumes. You can’t beat a Pavilion audience on a good night though. Headline stars are Andy Cameron. Dean Park and Christian.
Peter Powers Fri 7. Sat 8. Fri 14 and Sat 15 Feb. 7.30pm. Midnight on Sats. £4.50—£6. The ever-popular stage hypnotist returns for two weekends of mind-bending fun.
I ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND DRAMA 100 Renfrew Street. 332 5057. [Access: PPA. L. Facilities: WC. W8. AS. R. B. T. G. Help: A. AA]
King Lear Mon 10. Thurs 13 and Fri 14Feb. 7.15pm. £3 (£1.50). Edward Argent directs final year students in Shakespeare's great tragedy about a king and his three daughters.
Twelfth NighI Tue 1 1. Wed 12 and Sat 15 Feb. 7.14pm. By way of contrast to King Lear, this week's alternate Shakespeare is a romantic comedy performed by final year students and directed by Peter McAllister.
I TRAMWAY 25 Albert Drive. 227551 1. [Help: L. WC. W8. C].
Electra Wed 12-Sat 15 Feb. 8pm.
£3—£1 1.50. The RSC‘s revival of Deborah Warner‘s production of Sophocles' tragedy continues to earn rave reviews. particularly for Fiona Shaw's gut-wrenching performance. Reduced seating capacity in Tramway means you should book early. See preview.
EDINBURGH
I DEDLAM THEATRE Forrest Road. 225 9893. [Access: St. Facilities: WS. G. B. Help: AA]
Divertissements Fri 31 J an—Sat 8 Feb (not Sun 2 or Mon 3). 7.30pm. £3.50 (£3/£2.50). A collection of short plays by new authors performed by Edinburgh University Theatre Company.
Caligula Wed 5 Feb. 1.30pm. £1 .50(£1). Albert Camus‘s version ofthe Caligula story is performed by EUTC. Cordachd 12 Feb. 1.30pm. £1 .50(£1). Bedlam students give the first performance of a play by Nigel Kent.
I BONNINGTON RESOURCE CENTRE 141 Bonnington Road.
The Coming of Bride Fri 31 Jan. 7.30pm. £2.50 (£2). Second showing ofthis Celtic play devised by Fruition Arts Company about an old witch who goes in search of her youth. Dance. music and Gaelic songs.
I BRUNTON THEATRE Musselburgh. 665 2240. [Access: PPA. R. St. Facilities: WC, W5. E. G, B. Help: AA]
Arms and the Man Until Sat 8 Feb. 7.30pm. Sat 1 Feb mat 2.30pm. £5 (£4). George Bernard Shaw‘s romantic comedy marks the debut of Robin Peoples as Artistic Director ofthe Brunton Theatre. See review.
I CHURCH HILL THEATRE Morningside Road, 228 1155. Tickets available from Queen‘s Hall and Usher Hall Box Offices and J. and A. Cruikshank (opposite theatre).
Festival at One Act Plays Until Sat 1 Feb. 7.15pm. £3. Edinburgh Community Drama Association holds the Edinburgh District round ofthe annual play competition. Three different shows compete each evening.
Drama Festival Thursday 6 Feb. A night of stage action organised by the SWRl.
44 The List 31 January — 13 February 1992