THEATRE PREVIEW
v new PLAY 5 BBEATI'ITKIND
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Fierce and fearless. Tim Miller returns to Glasgow. having made a big h it at last year’s Glasgayl festival with My Qut ’(‘I' 13ml)".
()ne of the four rat .lical
’ 1 trtists cited by the
c ensorial right-wing as it ft tught for the withc’ rawal
' transpositions, manipulating locations
Culture vultures
Australian Dpera’s decision to relocate Britten’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to colonial India for its recent Edinburgh Festival success was hailed with great enthusiasm from all quarters, but London-based company Tara Arts has been performing such cultural
and performing in its own linguistic style, ‘Binglish’, since 1976 as a rich means of expressing its identity as 3
~- 5" ; company of British Asians. Tim Miller: piles of style
Its latest choice of European classic
1 is The Bourgeois Gentilhomme, ' Moliere’s satire on status wannabes
(not its first Moliére - Tara Arts’s Artistic Director Jatinder Verma produced Tartuffe in 1990 in association with the National Theatre). In this production, the 17th century bourgeois gentleman Thirru
, Kaka Deen aspires to emulate the
Moliere translated into ‘Binglish’ by Tara Arts
Europe and even Scotland come to the south of England and go to Dxbridge and they have to adopt not just another class but another attitude.’
In chot‘sing plays for the company to produce, Verma looks for something that translates to the Asian experience, but claims that this is the process all directors go through in
Salt of the Earth
looking for material which speaks to them, ‘ . . . so long as whatever one does has a certain integrity about it,’ he adds as a footnote. ‘I had to be aware of what Moliere was after. It was his integration of song, music, text and movement that makes me think he wrote an Indian play and that’s the texture I was absolutely determined must be retained.’ (Fiona Shepherd)
The Bourgeois Dentilhomme, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 27 Sept-Sat 1 Oct.
of National Endowment for ' the Arts funding, from act. ‘vist performers in the US, Miller is dedicztted to ‘cre.1ting performar.ce work s which will it tcrease Serial or Jesse Heltrts's haemt )rrhoid problt :m'. Nukt 't/ BI’t'lll/l. alt end); a big hit in the States. . : promist ’8 to be a se xy. uninhib. ‘ted examit ration of conte. 'nporary g ay life. Drawing from per: .‘onal experient 'e. cotnm itment and desirt 5. Miller lays bare the ir itegral. universal ; and unifyi. 1g natu re of his l v gayness. By all aCt :ount.s this is a I
Stage
French colonials of his home,
Pondicherry.
‘I’ve stuck to the same theme but, by locating it in a colonial context, given it a greater edge,’ declares Verma. ‘The whole question of status becomes also acquiring another culture, wanting not to be black. You see it on a totally farcical level,
‘ particularly a kind of farce that aims its barbs inwards at ourselves rather than picking on others. And it also relates to today, where people from
The Salt Wound: seaside special
Thatcher’s dictum that there is no such thing as society. only individuals, might not have been at the forefront of Stephen Greenhorn‘s mind while writing The Salt Wound. his latest play about to be toured by 7:84, but it‘s certainly something that irks him. ‘This play tries to find the boundaries between individual freedom and collective responsibility.‘ he says. ‘A lone voice speaking out will at best be indulged and patronised. at worst excluded and driven out, especially in a small town. where it's a very primitive son ofjudgement. in a city you’ll eventually find like minds. so it’s not as noticeable.’
The Salt Wound uses the context ofa small fishing village in which a mother. determined to prevent her son from working the boats. falls foul of both her husband and the patriarchal township. who scorn her fatalistic leanings. isolating her more and more as things escalate.
Early on. Greenhom toyed with the idea of setting the play in a mining town. his own background, but opted instead for a seaside setting. the poetry of which providing a wider scope for fertile imagery. A fishing play though. it most definitely isn’t.
‘it‘s more to do with patriarchy and gender. i read a book on religious women in lreland that said how matriarchy used to be the norm. and how when men took over the women were shoved to the sidelines. and had no voice.’ Greenhom is aware of such a situation in the very medium he works in. ‘l could see there was such a big pool of great actresses up here. and i thought it was a shame they didn’t get more lead parts. i also wanted to write something tragic. something quite Greek and heavy.‘
So no jokes then? ‘1 think there were
pulsating pi ece of theatre. . driven by at tene rgetic. |
wonderful,’ states Wallace, ‘and because Purcarete is a cult star who’s captured the imaginations of people there in a way no-one else has.’
Purcarete ls, according to Wallace, destined for world stardom. The way he twists and shapes classical texts, mixing up huge themes of obsession and power with a very humorous slant, is quite extraordinary, and Wallace sees Purcarete becoming one oi the great directorial world names over the next ten years.
A five-day workshop will accompany Decameron, along with a three-week workshop with Romania’s other theatrical figurehead, Gabor Tompa.
There are a mere six chances to see Decameron before it moves to Dublin and Edinburgh. After this it will be scrapped. ‘See it while you can,’ Wallace advises. ‘It Is essential.’ (Nell
angry. cotnp assi onate ! t mind. As wi. “b so much of g s the path-brea king f perfortnance art to cotne 3 Imagine a play so popular that anyone out of the All )8 who can’t get seats storms the stage, experience in Iht‘ US- refusing to budge until extra Miller sis a ct tlebtatorly performances am arranged. An “"T‘p‘mwm “3 ,w‘.” i” t’ i unlikely scenario here perhaps, but bitter contetnp. ation of i this is Bucharest we,” talkin b t life. Naked Bra (tilt. at i g a on ’ humorous Sho“ , of i where due to poverty plays can’t tour, personal mics, poignant z I and where even at festivals, only one metaphors and s :ensual ; or two performances of each work go movement. sour ldS like on, just the thing f0! ‘th Decameron 646, which caused the darkening autum n nights. “no” at Ia“ years caraglale will? 83593.1"? 'aMr‘yjr j Festival, has been brought to Tramway
“_ 1’“ mi ; g, p, as a follow up to last year’s Theatre of Glasgow men . n a one- » l off show examinit 1g gay } Romania season’ the highlight 0' male experience i, , [he ; which was Decameron Director Silvlu City. The culminat ion of a i Purcarete’s adaptation of Phaedra. two-week residenc y at the t, Former Tramway Director Hell Wallace CCA‘ the Piece 0ft 'tjrs‘ an 3 describes this as the ‘single most exciting dcpérwrc “9'” significant piece of work’ ever to have m“ 0'9 CC”“‘”?“?‘ ‘ ” m." been on at Tramway, excluding the theatrical depiction s of Mahabamta Glaswegian men in , I n ' i i u ‘ u ' particular and gay i: ten in ' ! ecamemn s a more n ma 8 a a r! gammy A potential 1). I and Purcarete has stressed that an excellent addition it. the audience of no more than 200 should wonderful glimpses of l see it at any one time. It developed Scottish g8 .v life M" W = out of a series of workshops with been given by home - ! young actors before lle Dheorge, one if?“ Well“ ‘33" if. ‘ t of Purcarete’s most experienced if “ 8mm,“ an ,a“ "‘ collaborators, was cast as the
ay. (Mark Brown) narrator, and the piece was shaped
Naked Bream. ('Cl
. Glumw.’ Fri 30 _S‘(:I)‘-'_S(” I accordingly. Cooper) three. but 1 managed to cut one of 3 ION; Queer (511m; (."CA, 1 But what is it that provokes such Became"!!! 545Jfamwavtmassowtm them.‘ (Neil Cooper) t Glasgmt; T/ttu’s‘ 29 Ste/2!. i : extreme responses? ‘Because it’s Sept-1 Oct. The Salt Wound. 7:84. on tour.
l 48 The List 23 Scpten iber—6 October 1 994