v THEATRE ;
THE GUID SDDJER SCHWEIK
Una McLean’s done it. Jimmy Logan's done it. so why shouldn’t Andy Cameron make the transition from variety to straight theatre? No reason at all. if Borderline‘s new Glaswegian adaptation of Jaroslav Hasek’s picaresque novel is anything to go by. As the idiotic-go-Iucky soldier Schweik. Cameron may not be called upon to show much of a range of acting talent. but he certainly plays the chuntering. naive hero with a good deal of charm.
Never quite hilarious, but always amiable. Carl Macdougall‘s irreverent adaptation lacks the political bite of Brecht‘s version. but John Murtagh's music-infused production is brisk enough to cover up the play‘s lack of real progression or purpose. Non-essential. but enjoyable. (Mark Fisher) I The Gold Sodier Schwelk (Fringe) Borderline Theatre Company. Moray House (Venue 61) until 28 Aug. 7.30pm. £6.50 (£4).
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Forget the trials and tribulations of everyday life. when it comes to
. ~fl€§1 2 J_LI‘4§§_1 The fluid Sodier Schweik
MAH or LA MAHcH
Retaining the high standards of previous
years. Quinquereme's new , production is a musical about Don Quixote.
Rather than simply telling the tale and throwing in a few songs. this version is
set in the prison where the , poet Cervantes awaits the j judgement of the Spanish 'f Inquisition. The book is
retold through a series of enactments by the author
and his inmates.
This is pure entertainment. utterly escapist and proud of it. The original story is
transformed into a classic
musical formula against a toe-tapping Spaghetti Western score. There is tragedy and there are tears
V but everything is saved in
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serious dramas Edinburgh Festival has got the lot.
The diabolical tale of Dr. Faustus for example. in Gertrude Stein's Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights performed by Hebbel Theatre. Berlin.
The muckraking comedy of Heinreich von Kleist‘s the Broken Jug.
performed by Deutsches Theater. Berlin.
The question of a woman's honour for dishonour) in a garrison
time for the rousing chorus finale. (Simon
; Yuill)
l
l
I Man of la Mancha (Fringe) Quinquereme
Productions. Broughton High School (Venue 69) : until 28 Aug. 7.30pm. £7 a (£5).
3 v THEATHE
i
FIST OF THE DRAGONFLY
It‘s a Mania Production production of a Cary ‘These Colours Don‘t Run' Drabwell play. so its hardly surprising the air is
so thick with testosterone you could cut it with a switchblade. And that’s
just at the box office. Such concerted Ladishness is. of course.
' perfectly apt for the Berkoff grotesqueries of
? Fist Of The Dragon/1.)"
' which creates a
dynamically violent bit of entertainment from the slight tale of wimp made Kung Fu hero. It’s a
shame the impressive : physical skills of such assured perfonners were
witnessed by so small an audience: it‘s worth braving the icy stares of the venue staffjust to see
the somersaulting fight ~ finale. (Stephen Chester)
I Fist of the Dragonfly (Fringe) Mania Productions. Roman Eagle Lodge (Venue 21) 225 7995. until 4 Sept. 7.15pm. £3.50 (£2.50).
Company Glasgow.
Service at Candleriggs ticket office. Glasgow. Drama at the
Julius Caesar performed by Salzburg festival with a cast of 250.
For ticket details call 03l 225 5756 or pop into our new GlasgowLink
Edinburgh Festival. definitely not of the kitchen sink variety.
FESTIVAL
Bra/8n
-—-l
EMO PHILIPS '
Entering stage left wearing a gold lame/black suit with a day-glo rucksack, Philips resembles a 90s stick-insect version of Elvis on acid, kicking off the evening’s entertainment with a well appreciated, ‘Scotland is way ahead of America . . . it’s like November out there.’ ilow unfortunately true.
To say that Philips’ comedy style is capricious is like saying there’s a couple of shows on during the Festival. This man (self confessed mammal) is so off-beat you tend to believe his stories about how he loved it when it snowed, because that was his parents’ criterion for letting him inside the house. He ambles along with tales from his childhood and his schooldays, mixing this with whimsical observations about life in
general and about his love of animals. ‘I have a love for animals that’s . . . well, nearly illegal.’
lle does a short, rather sad and predictable version of ‘(lue sera, sera’ which doesn’t exactly warrant the piano being on stage, than later on we’re treated to a screening of his quirky, silent short film ‘The Can Man’, which is exceedingly strange, though a touch too contrived.
Overall the show is masterfully paced and very amusing (if self deprecating stand-up is what you like), with moments of hilarity coming few and far between, but then again that’s not his style or what his comedy is all about. (Joe Lampard)
Emo Philips (Fringe) Emo Philips, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 29 Aug, various times and prices.
THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
BOOK FAIR
Booksellers from throughout the United Kingdom will be exhibiting a wide range of Antiquarian and Secondhand Books, Maps and Prints. Organised by the PBFA
OPEN AUGUST 16 AT 12 NOON
Thereafter August 17 until - 4 September
loam - 8pm daily Monday to Saturday
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HIV/:1 M008
Venue 34 - ADAM HOUSE CHAMBERS STREET EDINBURGH
a . a I
“View '
town in jakob Lenz's The Soldiers. performed by the Citizens
And. to top it all. the toppling of a famous head of state —
Edinburgh
International
Edinburgh International Festival, 2| Market St., Edinburgh EHI IBW. Registered Charity No. SC004694.
The List 27 August—9 September 1993 37