THEATRE REVIEW
ME AND MY GIRL
Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh. Until SatBll Jan.
ii there are any doubts about Gary Wilmot when he iirst walks on stage as Bill Snibson, all Cockney cliche, thumbs in waistcoat pockets, bright neckerchlel offsetting his check suit, they are dispelled when his character llnds himsell landed with an unexpected fortune, a private income, a huge estate and a title to boot. Wiimot sees his part as an opportunity to run through a never-ending procession oi acrobatics, illusions and visual gags. in the quietest scene
i you’re likely to llnd him upside down on i the sofa; give him a flowing, regal gown and his clowning brings the house down.
But accomplished, imaginative and entertaining as he is, he doesn’t give us much oi a look at his character’s emotional depths. While Wilmot keeps us happily amused, it is the under-used Jessica Martin, as Sally Smith, with whom we lall in love. And ior all her sincerity and the touching beauty oi her rendition oi Once You Lose Your Heart’, Martin is at a loss to move us, because Wilmot is too busy playing the whole thing ior laughs.
The problem is also a lault oi the book, which iails to deliver anything that could be described as a plot twist. Boy gets money, loses girl, gets girl back, end oi show, let’s run through those hit tunes again. Thankfully, they are damn line hit tunes, periormed here with zest and sympathetic staging. lithe ensemble scenes are cluttered and unlocused, the overall tone is brisk and lively and it you’re looking for a breezy, undemandlng night out, you won’t be disappointed. (Mark Fisher)
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Until Sat 30 Jan, then on tour.
Muriel Spark is a writer who knows how to blend incisive dissections oi humanity with a good story, and amid the translormation, betrayl and deceit ol hertale is a narrative which makes the Royal Lyceum’s stage version oi
The Prime oi Miss Jean Brodie
moving entertainment, it one which remains a staged novel ratherthan a true theatrical production.
To be lair, any intepretation is up
" against Maggie Smith saying ‘Girls,
girls, girls,’ and an inevitable disadvantage of the Lyceum version is that she isn’t in it. The resulting Brodie is an erotically motivated woman, bulldozing away all subtle tensions indigenous to the oppressiver claustrophobic environment ol a girl’s school in 1930s Edinburgh. Nor does the static set lend anything to the tale, and the geographical necessities imposed upon the production are sometimes met with lalntly embarrassing responses - we are iniormed oi moving outwith the schoolroom, ior instance, by the tweeting oi soundtrack birds. in the changes between time and scenes you can imagine the director yearning for a slow dissolve on celluloid, and the compromise oi overlapping entrances and exits is a workmanlike it hardly inspired solution.
The greater problem oi having girls age from nine to sixteen over the course oi three hours is met with surprising success; the actresses are believable as post-pubescent schoolgirls, and the iact that they look exactly the same at nine doesn’t seem in any way objectionable. Suspension oi disbeliel is a wonderiul theatrical tool when laced with the impossible.
While overall the production might have the general ieel oi superior rep, there is enough wit and humour continually to tickle your ribs and make the weightless oi your wallet worthwhile. That it doesn’t strike more emotional and theatrical chords is a pity, but not a tragedy, since this is a story that can survive without them.
the novel an enjoyable and at times (Stephen Chester) ROYAL LYCEUM O X 0 F F l C E THEATRE 3 1 2 2 9 9 6 9 7 CCESS,VI$A&SWITCH WELCOME
Eves: 7.45p.m. Matinees: 16 & 23 January at 3.15p.m. ALL MATINEE SEATS £4.50
COMING NEXT: 5 FEBRUARY — 27 FEBRUARY
Jay Presson Allen- Adapted from the novel by Muriel Spark
er
THEATRE m
Theatre is listed by city, than alphabetically by venue. Touring shows are listed alphabetically by title at the end otthe section. Shows will be listed, pmvided that details reach our oliices at least ten days betore publication. Theatre Listings compiled by Mark Fisher.
DISABLED ACCESS KEY
Access: P = Parking Facilities, PPA = Parking to be Pre-Arranged, L = Level Access, R = Ramped Access. ST = Steps to negotiate.
Facilities: WC = Adapted Toilet(s), WS = Wheelchair Spaces, AS = Adjacent Seats, H = induction Loop System, G = Guide Dogs Allowed, R = Restaurant Accessible, C = Catering Accessible, T = Adapted Telephone.
ilelp: 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.
I ARCHES THEATRE Midland Street, 221 9736. [Access: L. Facilities: WC, W8, C, G. Help: A, AA]
llughie on the Wires Wed 27 Jan— Sun 7 Feb. 8pm. £5 (£3). Wiseguys Productions in a play by Donal O‘Kelly based on the true story of an Irish and a Scottish journalist who were framed and implicated in a massacre in El Salvador.
I CITIZEHS’ THEATRE Gorbals Street, 429 0022. Box Office Mon—Sat 10am—6pm (10am-9pm on performance days). Bar. [Access: L. R. Facilities: WC, W8. H, G, C. Help: AA]
The Jungle Book Until Sat 23 Jan. 10am: Fri 15,Tue 19,Thurs 21, Fri 22 Jan. 2pm: Mon 18, Wed 20. Sat 23 Jan. 7pm: until Sat 16 Jan Mon 18, Wed 20—Sat 23 Jan. £3-£8.
A magical journey through the animal kingdom as Myles Rudge gives Kiplingthe panto treatment in a production directed by Giles Havergai and designed by Kenny Miller. Dance fans will note that Frank McConnell is choreographer.
I CUMBERHAULD THEATRE Cumbernauid. 0236 732887. Box Office Mon-Fri 10am—6pm; Sat 10am—3pm; 6—8pm perf. evgs Bar/Cafe. [Access: PPA, L, ST, R. Facilities: WC, W8, H, G, C. Help: A, AA]
Sialntei: A Festival oi Contemporary Celtic Culture Fri 15—Sat 30 Jan. Cumbernauld hosts an enterprising celebration of all things Celtic from puppets to concerts. See Folk and Kids listings for more details. The Jolly Beggars Tue 26] an. 7.45pm. £5 (£2.50). The Love and Liberty Theatre Company joins in the Celtic merriment with this cantata by Robert Burns performed by leading folk luminaries.
I KINGS THEATRE Bath Street. Box Office. Mon-Sat noon—6pm. 4 bars. Phone bookings, Ticket Centre, Candleriggs, see Ticket Link details above. [Access: PPA, L. Facilities: WC, W8, H, G, C. Help: A, AA]
Aladdin Until Sat 3OJan. 7pm. Selected mats 2.15pm. £4—£9. Una McLean stars as Widow Twankey and Gerard Kelly as her son Wishee Washee in this splendid panto first seen in Edinburgh last season. Crammed with jokes, japes and joie de vivre, it’s probably the best mainstage panto you‘ll see this season.
I MITCHELL THEATRE Granville Street, 221 3198. Box Office Mon-Sat noon—8pm.
Bar. Cafe. [Access: PPA, L, ST, R. Facilities: WC, W8. H. G, C. Help: A, AA]
The Adventures ol Tom Thumb Until Sat 16 Jan. 7.30pm. £7.50 (cones available). Dorothy Paul returns to the Mitchell to lead the cast - including Angus Lennie who is a regular sidekick of Stanley Baxter - in the popular family panto. Recommended.
I PAVILION THEATRE 121 Renfield Street. 332 1846. Box Office Mon-Sat 10am-8pm. Bar. [Access: ST. Facilities: WS, G. Help: AA]
Jack and the Beanstalk Until Sat 3OJan. £8l£5.50 (£5.50/£4.50). 7.30pm: Until Sat 16. Mon 18—Sat 23. Mon 25—Sat 30.! an. 2pm: Sat 16, Sat 23 and Sat 3OJan. Traditionally the loudest and most raucous of Glasgow‘s pantos — and with arguably the most enthusiastic audience— the Pavilion seasonal offering this year stars Andy Cameron, Dean Park and Christian.
I PROJECT ABILITY 18 Albion Street (opposite Tron Theatre). Details on 031 661 0144.
Performing Arts Courses From Tue 26 and Thur528.lan. 7.30pm. Weekly. Prices vary. A new season of classes organised by Arts Connexion . catering to all levels from beginners to advanced. Courses include Method-Based Acting, Youth Acting, Singing and Movement. See preview.
I TRON THEATRE 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Box Office Mon 10am—5pm;Tue—Sat 10am until performance commences; Sun 6pm until performance commences. No performances on Monday. [Access: PPA, ST, R, L. Facilities: WC. WS. 11, G,C. Help: AA]
Every Dit oi it Until Sun 17 Jan. 7.30pm. £6.50/£5 (£3.50/£3). A large Scottish input in this touring production by The Sphinx (ex-Women's Theatre Group) with a play by poet Jackie Kay about blues singer Bessie Smith. Dunoon chanteuse Suzanne Bonnar plays Smith and Elizabeth Quinn, the star of Children of a Lesser God, plays a deaf woman besotted with the memory of her voice. The show moves on to the Traverse. Edinburgh.
EDINBURGH
I ADAM HOUSE THEATRE Chambers Street. Tickets 225 8961 or 332 6185. Forests oi the Night Thurs 2 l-Sat 23] an. 7.30pm. £3.50 (£3). Chameleon Theatre Company presents this new psychological
thriller by Jackie Brent about an innocent afternoon visit that turns out very unexpectedly.
I DRUHTON THEATRE Musselburgh, 665 2240. [Access: L, ST, R. Facilities: WC. W8, H, G, C. Help: AA]
Love Out Her Fri 22 Jan-Sat 6 Feb (not Mon 25). 7.30pm. £6 (£4.50). Sat mat 3OJan 2.30pm. A specially commissioned play by Lara Jane Bunting (writer of the Annexe hit Vodka and Daisies), who turns to Jean Armour, the wife of Robert Burns, for the basis of her story. The play is augmented by traditional Scottish fiddle and song. See preview.
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).
into the Woods Until Sat 23 Jan. 7.30pm. Sat mat 2.30pm. Stephen Sondheim is one of the most acclaimed musical writers of the 20th century. yet productions of his work can be hard to come by. it‘s good to see local amateur company Tempo Musical Productions give a production of his adult fairytale.
Buddlgore Mon 25—Sat 30 Jan. 7.30pm. Sat mat 2.30pm. £6 (£3.50). Subtitled The Witch '3 Curse, this Gilbert and Sullivan opera is presented by Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group. I KING'S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 229 1201. Box Office Mon-Sat 10am-8pm. Bar. [Access: R, L. Facilities: WC, W8,
48 The List 15 — 28 January 1993