REVIEW THEATRE
marat- Paint it black
In the world of theatre, it’s not the size of a production, but what you do with it that counts, as Kathleen Morgan discovers.
It might be small-scale. nestling in the smallest performance space within Glasgow's Citizens’ Theatre, but Brothers at the Brush has the kind of punch that sends audiences reeling. So it lacks the headline-grabbing presence of Rupert Everett, appearing in Noel Coward‘s Private lives just yards away, but Jimmy Murphy’s portrayal of working life on the poverty line is the most powerful of three productions currently at the Citizens’.
Performed by one of Scotland’s most exciting theatre groups Wiseguise Productions, Murphy's debut play exposes the black market economy which pits one worker against the next. An explosive blend of humour and tragedy, it parachutes us into the working lives ofthree Dublin painter- decorators and their mobile phone- wielding boss. What begins as sharp- humoured banter among the paint pots and brushes quickly descends into a spectacle of dog cat dog as each man fights for the prospect of a few extra pennies and a decent tea break.
In the claustrophobic studio theatre surroundings, literally reeking of paint and sweat, the veneer of a construction industry struggling to survive is peeled away. Matt Costello, Frank Gallagher and Bill Murdoch play three pawns in the money-making game, each stripped of dignity, safe working conditions and decent wages so their boss, brilliantly portrayed by Laurie Ventry, can sustain his lifestyle.
This is no simple tale of victim and victor — both capitalism and union politics are hung out to dry in a shrewd observation of life on the breadline. Our sympathies switch position as often as the actors‘ paintbrushes while the complexities of a cut-throat market are played out.
Although set in Dublin, where Murphy himself works as a painter- decorator, this could be Glasgow, Liverpool or London: anywhere a minimum wage isjust a pipe dream. All four actors, under the creative direction of Jim Twaddale, make this a convincing and moving piece of theatre, at home in the intimate surroundings of the studio space.
Struggling far more to engage its audience is The Father, August Strindberg‘s intense exploration of the battle of the sexes. It is a brave choice for the Citizens' former director of design Stewart Laing, making his directorial debut. More than 100 years after the play was written, its images of insanity and sexual wargames have lost their power. What was once a radical expose of mam'age and repressive social convention now appears slightly jaded.
Again in the studio setting, the audience is thrown into a marital war
em Murdh asJalr contemlates lite on the breadline
zone, stalked by an unstable ex-soldier and his manipulative wife. Denied any control over their daughter’s life, Laura (Siobhan Stanley) drives the Captain (Gerrard McArthur) into a half-life existence, plagued by madness. Her aim — to have him certified and seize his familial responsibilities.
Laing’s stark design is ideal for a play where the battle lines are drawn in its characters‘ minds, but the bare stage setting only accentuates how rooted The Father is in its time. Strindberg had little room for subtlety in exposing the suffocating social institutions of his day, but the images of madness and sexual tension paraded through the script now appear flimsy half-truths.
The war of the sexes is again explored, even celebrated in a glittering production of Noel Coward’s comedy Private lives, showing in the Citizens’ main theatre. If its jokes are slightly cliched in the cynical l990s, they are bolstered by a smattering of modem- day references and a spectacular set. designed by the play’s director Philip Prowse.
Greg Hicks and Victoria Scarborough delight the audience with their portrayal of a honeymooning couple trapped in a ridiculous marriage of opposites. Their banter becomes increasingly frenzied when Elyot (Hicks) discovers his ex-wife (Sophie Ward) celebrating her new marriage in the next suite. Cue guffaws as Rupert Everett appears as the other man, completing a love square destined to go horribly wrong.
This is easy, light entertainment with the odd ‘oooh‘, provoked by some clever stage tricks. Nothing unexpected, nothing challenging, just some enjoyable soap bubbles which will no doubt attract a‘considerable audience looking for some good, frothy fun.
Brothers of the Brush and The Father are at the C itizens' Theatre. Glasgow until Sat 5 Nov.
Private Li ves is at the Citizens' Theatre. Glasgow until Sat 22 Oct. then
7 15—1 9 Nov.
MARC MARNIE
P A IS L E Y ARTS CENTRE-
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THE 60's LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL
Book and lyrics by GEROME RAGlNl 8. JAMES RADO. Music by GALT MACDERMOI Produced tor the Broadway stage by Michael Butler. Originally produced by the New Yorlc Shakespeae Festival. Producer and Artistic Director DAVID SHAW Musical Director DEREK McG'tONE. Choreograer RHONA ClELAND.
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This amateur r -‘ [I r " In " wlth “ ,. and Stage Musicals at New York.
The List 21 October—3 November 1994 55