FESTIVAL
FUENTE OVEJUNA
The strict Presbyterian space oi the I Assembly Hall has been split in two ior 5 de Vega’s story oi Spanish peasant ) insurrection. Along the broad catwalk the peasants oi the bleak village oi Fuente Ovejuna strut their suiiering underthe hand oi Commander Gomez oi the order at Calatrava, his soldiers swaggering back and iorth in an elegant duet oi oppression.
Gomez stole irom the village in taxes, raping the women and terrorising the men as they cowed to his iron list. But when he took the leisty Laurencia on her wedding day and imprisoned her lover Frondoso, she persuaded the village to rise and tearthe despot limb
irom limb.
it is an uplifting play and this production leaves you teeling as it you’d gone through the experience with the villagers, but the acting in the early stages, particularly trom Laurencia and Gomez, is more in sympathy with the sober wooden surroundings than the playtul romanticism oi their language. (Thom Dibdin)
Fuente Ovejuna (Festival) Royal National Theatre, Assembly Hall, 225 5756, until 5 Sept, 7.30pm, Sats 4.30pm and 8.30pm, 25—215.
commitment and sheer hard work. The blur between amateur and professional is indistinguishable. A show that demands extravagance has been spelt out with spectacular pride. (Michael Balfour) I Into The Woods (Fringe) Quinquereme Productions. Broughton High School (Venue 69) until 29 Aug, 7.30 pm. £6.50 (£4.50).
V THEATRE
DOUBLE BLUFF
Well! Here‘s somethinga bit unusual . . . ordinary theatre at the Fringe. No nudity. no decibels worth counting. no strobe lights. no swearwords; not even a David Mellor reference. Just two new short plays by Sir Richard Parsons— each a subtle dissection of cheating and identity. each with an enigmatic start and a sting (this being Scorpio Productions) in the tail.
The four cast members are all experienced professionals who look somewhat out of place in the Roxy‘s dingy
downstairs space. their voices clearly more accustomed to booming out to the gods. Though I found Tim Shoesmith a little wooden as the young
man confronting a difficult i
bereavement in the first play, director Tony Gray and his cast provide a very polished 75 minutes of thoughtful intrigue. proving that you don‘t have to be loud, brash or relentlessly original to create stimulating theatre. (Andrew Burnet)
I Double Blufl(Fringe) Scorpio Productions, The Roxy (Venue 27) 650 8499. until 5 Sept (not 1
Sept).7.3(lpm,£5(£3.5(l). V
i v THEATRE i
KING OF THE CITY: AN EVENING WITH AL CAPDNE
Robert Gallo is unnervingly similar to the popular image ofa gangster. The aggressive stature and well-tended air coupled with the manic glint in his eye and the long, sinuous and
apparently genuine scar running down his cheek contribute added menace to his portrayal ofthe best-known gangster of
f them all.
Capone is not vicious here though. but winning.
This is the story ofhislife as he sees it: he is but a
product of the zeitgeist and the murders and shootings were unfortunate necessities. Thanks to Gallo‘s superny sustained characterisation there is a constant tension between the charm of the man and disbelief at his version of events. Ninety minutes of selfjustification does wear a bit thin but one cannot
but admire Gallo‘s
' virtuoso performance.
(Frances Cornford)
I King oi the City: An Evening With Al Capone (Fringe) King ofthe City Venture, Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49) 225 9893. until 29 Aug, 6.15pm, £5 (£4).
Gm Music in Scotland
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The List 28 August — 10 September 1992 33