Waterhole
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Waterhole: a play in search of itself
An oasis in an African desert provides the setting for this exploration of how the Western world still calls the shots, no matter how surreptitiously.
Gurk, a sort of Arthur Daley figure crossed with Grizzly Adams, takes on dodgy deals aplenty, trading in anything he can — including the life of
FESTIVAL W?"
' l infused with poetry; the music of Coltrane. MaRainey. Billie Holiday
and others is beautifully
realised and the dance is
as slick as is possible in a
shoebox. This is a distinctive.joyful show deserving of a big audience and a larger
stage. (Justin McKenzie Smith)
a beautiful slave girl, about to be sold off to the local Sultan, whose harem she’ll join in the morning. When a movie star, good-cause merchant and her horny pilot are forced to land at the waterhole while they repair their helicopter the glamorous do-gooder becomes an erotic irritant and a reminder of Gurk’s roots. Double- talking as only a conman can, Gurk justifies his profession, the lure of the
West almost proving too much as he ' F. theTfimrlgtigg :n bargains for ownership of the girl mm ° ° . . ° ° ! . Urban Clubs (ange) The
demanding the highest stakes. Looking initially like an intelligent forage into cultural identity and the darker side of capitalism, Waterhole never really shapes up. It lays all the subtext on the slab, setting up conflicts it never really explores. Played by a disappointing South African company, including one who sounds and acts like Thunderbirds’ Lady Penelope, this is a play in search of itself with an ending which, while demonstrating territorial ties, is largely a cop-out, too convenient to convince. (lleil Cooper) Waterhole (Fringe) Gylkor Theatre Productions, Church Hill Theatre (Venue 46) 447 0111, until 27 Aug, 8pm; 29 Aug-3 Sept, 2pm, £7.50 (£5.50).
Kuntu Repertory Theatre. Hill Street Theatre and Studio (Venue 41) 226 6522. until 28 Aug. 2.45pm. £6 (£5).
v comeov e-non move
Skaville: Too much too young
nationalism. It is ingeniously staged with creative use of the available space. props. sound and lighting. The performances are all first rate. with some extraordinary physical skills and bizarre comedy. At times a trifle slow, but in all it is a highly enjoyable and innovative piece of physical theatre. universally accessible and suitable for all ages. (Joe Lampard) I No Man’s land (Fringe) Peepolykus. St Bride's Centre (Venue 62) 346
SKAVILLE
Eddie. a fast-talking rude boy. breezes into a seaside record shop just as two tone is about to break. Against a backdrop of changing times liddie and his friends grow up and apart as they encounter prejudices and face the unavoidable responsibility of choice.
Set firmly in the context of Thatcher's early days. this is an emotional evocation of that special time in late adolescence
\g . M \ “ l ' "
B-Tload Movie: kitsch virtual reality
Take a loud Scousc woman and a house-
Anyone who’s ever walked past a nightclub, never mind been inside, will understand why Hull Truck’s Bouncers still pulls audiences of ordinary folks by the coachload and invariably has them rolling about in the aisles at the all too familiar Friday night world of John Godber’s creation.
It’s not easy to follow what has become something of a cult show, but the tough, gritty, urban drama of Gill Adams’s Off Out is a worthy addition to ,the Hull Truck convoy and Assembly Rooms audiences are packing in and piling high.
June in her white, plastic mac and red stilettoes is a middle aged prostitute; Mac in shell suit, chunky gold chains and flick-knife is her muscle-bound man; ‘Danny-boy’, skinny, intense and ‘apron-strlng’ clingy ls her grown-up son and May is a teenage drug-addict, mother of two and the other woman in Mac’s life.
j the streets of Hull for the last six
1405. until 27 Aug. 2pm. £5 (£3).
THE EVOLUTION OF JAZZ: FROM THE FIELDS TO THE URBAN CLUBS
The Evolution ()fJuzz involves one of the brightest. most inspired performances on this year‘s Fringe. Crammed into a tiny space. the fifteen-plus members of Pittsburgh‘s Kuntu Repertory Theatre give their everything to this powerful story. tracing the roots ofjazz from the drums of West African slaves to the nightclubs of modern America.
Far more than a musical history. the show bears witness to the diverse experiences and achievements of African Americans. The script is
when friendship and a sense of belonging mean everything and a moment lasts forever. .S'kui'il/e captures the political spirit of the day and with the dangerous resurgence of Nazism. is especially pertinent. Recommended. (Neil Cooper)
I Skaville (Fringe) Abacus Arts. Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49) 225 9893. until 3 Sept. 2.15pm. £5 (£3.50).
V THEATRE N0 MAN’S LAND
The simple. poignant tale of three humble allotment owners. whose over- zealous nurturing of their respective plots and subsequent conflict over allotment borders erupts into violent confrontation.
The show looks at the stupidity of boundaries and the darker side of human nature. induced by separation and
Wm). \'
proud. prim and proper prude. send them off on a cross-country treasure hunt and ~ here‘s the really clever part — amalgamate the stage with a film.
If you've seen Woody Allen‘s The Purple Rose nfCrrim, you'll be familiar with the interaction between the on-screen cinema audience and the characters they are watching. This show is the satne but in real life. if you follow. allown'ig some superb pastiches of 30s B- movie mannerisms and crever self-referential asides. The result blurs the distinctions between film and theatre with manic hilarity. (Jonathan Trew)
I B-Bcad Movie (Fringe) Lip Service. Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428. until 3 Sept. 2pm. £7/£8 (£6/£7).
fi
Hull Truck: large as life
Business takes place on the streets and home is a seedy little two- bedroom flat. Danny stays home every night and paints his mother’s nails while she dreams of better sofas. When Mac muscles his way in the door with a pink, floral two-seater, June falls into his unforgiving arms and domestic hellfire breaks loose between all and sundry.
Adams herself has been off out on
“brilliant/y conceived and superth
realised. . .
.1 Inasft-rpivco” months. The characters she has dreamt up from her research are at times just a little too soap-style
obvious but on the whole this large as life, just as ugly, twice as funny show
is another well played Hull Truck
result. (Ellie Carr)
Off 0ut (Fringe) Hull Truck Theatre,
{ Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428,
j until 3 Sept, 2pm, 2850/2150
(2750/2650).
Theatre Wurkslinli Vt'ltltt‘ 20
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The List 26 August—8 September I994 27