LISTINGS THEATRE
THEATRE imme-
Theatre is listed by city, then alphabetically I by venue. Touring shows are listed I alphabetically by title at the end otthe section. Shows will be listed, providedthat details reach our ottices at least ten days before publication. Theatre Listings compiled by Mark Fisher.
GLASGOW 1
Most theatre in Glasgow is part of , Maytest. Please see separate listings at front ' of magazine.
I CUMBERNAULD THEATRE Cumbernauld. ()236 732887. Box Office Mon—Fri 10am—6pm; Sat 10am—3pm; 6—8pm perf. evgs Baerafe. [Access: PPA. L. ST, R. Facilities: WC. WS. 11. G. C. Help: A. AA]
The Tart and the Vicar's Wile Fri 8—Sat 9 May. 7.45pm. £3 (£1.50). Pioneering socio-realist drama with Brechtian undertones and Nob Theatre influences. Just kidding. Smutty comedy by Jean Shirley performed by the Apex Players. Guelques Fleurs Thurs I-i—Sat 16 May. 7.45pm. £3.75 £5 (£1.75:£2.50). Liz Loehhead plays opposite Stuart Hepburn in her own series of monologues about a , housewife and an oil rig worker. Funny
and popular. if a wee bit slight.
Bizarre Ode-Ditties Sat 16 May. 10pm. £2.50(£1.25). See Cabaret.
Your Turn to Clean the Stair Thurs 2 l—Sat 23 May. 7.45pm. £3.75/£5 (£1.75/£2.50). See Touring.
I DRAMA CENTRE AT THE RAMSHORN 98 Ingram Street, 552 3489. [Access: ST. Facilities: WC. W3. G. Help: AA]
The King is Dead Until Sat 9 May. 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50). Jane Duncan looks at three Glaswegian devotees of Elvis Presley in a new comedy about the dangers of hero-worship. Performed by Strathclyde Theatre Group. See review.
Baglady Tue 12—Sat 16 May. 9.30pszue 19—Sat 23 May. 10pm. £4 (£2). Michele Waering gives a fervent performance in Frank McGuiness's short. poetic monologue about the tragedy ofa homeless woman. directed by Leslie Finlay for New Stage Company.
Ship of Fools Thurs 14—Sat 16 May. 7.30pm. £6 (£3). See touring.
Eva Peron and The Conduct oI Lite Tue l9—Sun 24 May. 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50). A Latin-American double bill performed by Strathclyde Theatre Group and directed by Susan Triesman. The first play is by Copi who brings the surreal sensibility ofa cartoonist to the life of Eva Peron. The second is by Maria Irene Fornes who takes an uncompromising look at the domestic life ofa torturer.
I FORT THEATRE Kcnnmure Avenue. Bishopbriggs. 772 7054.
The Alchemist Until Sat 9 May. 7.30pm. £3 (£1.50). Ben Jonson‘s classic satire is given an update by Gut-Reaction. Three
tamar— currm’ A BUG
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Until Sat 16 May.
The second instalment at John Byrne’s Slab Boys trilogy is a kind at Glaswegian answer to Willy Russell's Stags and Hens (the two plays were Iirst produced within a year of each other in the late 703), in which the lovable rogues oi the slab room go winching at the company Christmas dance. As tar as plot goes that’s just about it. Something starts to happen mid-way through Act Two, but it’s hardly the stuff of catharsis.
No, the quality of Byrne’s play lies almost entirely in his ear for Paisley patter, punched out in this production directed by Ben Twist at a breathless pace just short oi incomprehensibility. That same quality is also the play’s severe limitation; each line of barbed wit dazzles, delights, then disappears only to emphasise the drama's lack of substance. Assuming our tamiliarity with Phil, Spanky, Hectoret al, Byrne wastes no time on the niceties 01 character development, weighing-In instead with a cartoon-like barrage of smartarse one-liners in a series oi cameos that switches nimny trom Ladies to Gents to dancelloor, till suddenly it's the end of the play.
Twist’s direction is similarly (and literally) up-tront, opting to avoid the interior parts of Nick Sargent's excellent skeletal set where the party balloons neatly oft-set the structure's monochrome simplicity, and marshalling the tightly disciplined and energetic company to play straight out to the auditorium. The production skates along with jokes aplenty (although the audience doesn’t always laugh with one voice), but you leave the
theatre, go home and quickly torget all about it. (Mark Fisher)
mam— TWO-WAY MIRROR
Seen at the Old Athenaeum Theatre, Glasgow. Ontour.
Piquant, poetic yet compact, Arthur Miller's two one-act plays concentrate on the somewhat warped nature 01 love. Elegy For A Lover and Some Kind OI Love Story depict the kind of relationships which thrive on distance. The tormer concentrates on a married man’s bewildered love for a younger mistress whom he thinks is dying. In the shop in which he is trying to buy her a present, he starts talking distractedly to the owner. Through her comments, he comes to a clearer understanding of his affair which survives because of estrangement.
Some Kind 01 Love is more up-beat and concerns a lonely prostitute’s desperate attempt to keep her detective lover interested in her by ottering her body but withholding information which he wants. In her seedy bedroom, each tries to manipulate the other tor his or her own ends.
American Connexion’s Donna Orlando and Gregg Ward have the accents; their New York sott drawls and sharp staccatos adequately punctuate the text. Unlortunater though, the production's staging is one-dimensional, the direction rigid and the acting, in the second halt, school-play hysterical and peppered with tlutls. Although the dialogue Is sharp, as the actors move rathertoo awkwardly around the stage with very little intimacy, we could be watching the recording of a radio play. (Beatrice Colin)
con-artists thrive amidst the chaos of war-torn London. but time is running out. I GLASGOW ARTS CENTRE 12 Washington Street, 221 4526. [Access: P, PPA. R. ST. Facilities: WC, G. C. Help: A, AA] Macbeth Until Sat 16 May. 7.30pm. £4 (£3). The energetic and committed young company, Raindog. aims for an accessible and modern interpretation of Shakespeare‘stragedy. Running parallel with Mayfcst, but not an official part ofit and moving onto the Citz‘ at the end ofthe month.
I KILMARDINNY HOUSE ARTS CENTRE 50 Kilmardinny Avenue, Bearsden.943 0312. [Access: L. Facilities: WS. H. G.C] The Three Fat Women of Bearsden Thurs l4—Fri 15 May. 8pm. 88 Theatre productions in a comedy by Eloise Fergus based on a short story by Somerset Maugham.
I MOTHERWELL THEATRE Civic Centre. Motherwell. 0698 675 15. [Access: ST, R. L. Facilities: WC. W3. H. G.C]
Trial by Jury Sat 9—Sun 10 May. 7.30pm. £4.50 (£3.50). G and S from Scratch. Songstrom the Musicals Thurs l4—Fri 15 May. 7.30pm. £3 (£2). Motherwell District Community Choir sings its way through the blockbusters.
See That's Hersat in May. 7.30pm. £4 (£3). See Touring.
Guelques Fleurs Mon 18 May. 7.30pm. £3 (£2.50). Liz Loehhead plays opposite Stuart Hepburn in her own seriesof monologues about a housewife and an oil rig worker. Funny and popular. if a wee bit slight.
I PAISLEY ARTS CENTRE New Street. Paisley. 887 1010. Box Office open Tue—Sun noon-8.30pm. Bar (open noon—11pm Tue—Sat; 12.30—2.3()pm and 6.30—11pm Sun. Meals served). Cafe (open noon—11pm). [Access: PPA. L. R. Facilities; WC. W5, H. G. C. Help: A. AA]
Comedy Nights Every Thursday. See
Cabaret listings.
Ratatouille Until Sat 9 May. 7.30pm. £2.50 (£1.50). Comedy and drama in three one-act plays performed by RATS: Borderline, Ritual for Dolls and Colliers Tuesday Tea.
Drama Thurs 14—Fri 15 May. 7.30pm. £2.50. The Old Grammarians take tothc sta e.
The Killing 01 Women Sat 16 May. 8pm. £2.50 (£1 ). Poetry. prose. sketches and song by four Glasgow writers linked together by poet Janet Paisley. Described as a provocative study ofcorrupted relations between the sexes.
I PEARCE INSTITUTE Lithgow Theatre . 840 Govan Road (opposite Govan Underground), 445 1941. [Access: ST. Facilities: WC, WS. 11. G]
MacMyth Project Sun 10 May. 2pm and 8pm. £3 (£1 ). After two weeksof developmental rehearsals. this pan-European company lets us into its work-in-progress which takes a historical look at the neglect ofthe Scots language. I THEATRE ROYAL Hope Street, 332 9000. Box Office Mon—Sat 10am-6pm. (7.30pm on perf evgs). Bar. Buffet. [Access: PPA. ST. R. Facilities: WC. WS, 11, G. C. Help: AA]
Spider's Web Until Sat 9 May. 7.30pm. £3.50—£9.50. Agatha Christie thriller.
I VILLAGE THEATRE Maxwell Drive. East Kilbridc. 03552 48669. [Access: P. L. ST. Facilities: WC. W8. H. G. C]
Annual One-Act Drama Festival Mon 1 l-Sat 16 May. 7.30pm. £2 (£1). Sat £3. EK Rep plays host to amateur dramatics clubs from across the country for some friendly competition.
EDINBURGH
I ADAM HOUSE THEATRE Chambers Street. Tickets on 225 8696.
Black Comedy Until Sat 9 May. 7.30pm. £2.50 (£2). The Whitejackets (Edinburgh University Dental Students Dramatic
A story so shocking
it could only be true
GEORGE
CHAKIRIS lN
\
WINNER OF THE 1988 TONY AWARD
FOR BEST PLAY
with 0.0. CHAN
Nicholas Courtney, Liz Edmiston, Eric Carte,
JUNE 22-27 7.30pm Sat Mat 3pm
TICKETS 2750-21250 MATINEE £7 & £5 Concessions available
A i O
‘3.
Tickets available from The Ticket Centre. Candleriggs and all Ticket Link Box Offices. Enquiries and Credit Cards - Tel: 041-227 5511 FAX-A-TICKET: 041-227 5016
The List 8 - 21 May 1992 49