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l *** |
JABBEBWOCKY
Jabberwocky captivates children
Antic Disposition’s Jabberwocky is a vivid, pacy adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem from Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Carroll’s Jabberwocky is a tour de force - so imaginative in its use of language that it sets writer Alison
llorwell a hard act to follow. She doesn’t aim to sustain the verbal iireworks throughout, opting instead for working the characters into a story that will captivate children.
All the creatures hinted at in the poem are here - the Slithy Toves, the Jub-Jub bird, the Bandersnatch and, best oi all, the Mome Baths, who are portrayed as backward East End thugs, all cockney accents and shaggy headgean
Exotic masks and simple costumes are used eiiectively throughout by the small cast, and children in the audience were sufficiently caught up in the spirit of the show to try to engage the Jabberwocky in conversation. (Stephen llaysmith) Jabberwock y (Fringe) Antic Disposition, 0 too (Venue 4) 225 5105, until 31 Aug (not 18) noon, £5 (Ed/children £3).
I ****
SCOTTISH BALLET AND FRIENDS ON THE FRINGE
Disco-coloured pointe shoes match the mirth of Mark Baldwin’s quirky choreography in More Poulenc, his sprightly new ballet rich in play and seriously good dancing.
Sometimes the best part of watching periormance is seeing the periormers enjoy themselves, and you get a closer than usual view oi ballet’s sweat and muscle in this compact venue. Intimacy is underscored by the presence oi a live pianist who charges her way through the discordant poundings and tender rushes and ripples oi Poulenc’s music, animating two pairs of intentionally ill-clad dancers to glide, flutter and careen their way through a circus oi surprises.
The second hall of the programme shiits gears with its moody and meditative trlo, Storming the Temples. This originated as site specific work
Scottish Ballet: satisfying and serene
to accompany a tour at El Greco’s paintings to the Aberdeen Art Gallery. Barbed in shimmering, muted iewel colours, and set among white pillars and huge blocks, the three Aberdeen- based dancers are backed by an ominous score of quivering strings as they weave their way through dense poetic images with long swinging limbs and twists oi passion. It’s a hard task to follow Baldwin, but some exquisite moments of clarity do emerge as they sculpt the space, bringing a satisfying and serene close to the show. (Sara Porter)
Scottish Ballet and Friends on the Fringe (Fringe) Scottish International, The Famous Grouse liouse (Venue 34) 220 5606, until 17 Aug, 12.30pm, £6 (£4).
I ***/*** I
BE MY . . . BE MY BABY/ BOSOM BUDDIES
These two solo shows, perionned on alternate days, cover massive themes.
Be My Baby is a lrighteningly accurate portrayal of the pain of having, and not having, children. What happens when a couple’s love-making turns to baby-making? The material sweeps through the history oi contraception, the comic antics oi iatherhood, ethical morals . . .
Bosom Buddies tackles vast 20th century issues via dialogues between five pairs oi historical figures, through a leitmotii oi detachment. So Einstein and liils Bohr argue over atom separation, and Ghandi and General
Smuts diiier over apartheid.
In both shows, despite the very witty and fertile material, one came away with a feeling that Klaii had spread his net wide, but not actually drawn in a great deal. Themes appeared to approach a climax, yet never quite peaked.
Fringe veteran lilait is, however, a superb periormer. His voice range is astonishing. Seen at preview, he was not yet entirely coniident in his delivery. llowever, we witnessed one or two oi those magical moments when time hangs suspended in the air, and lam coniident lilaii will hit many more oi those emotional highs as his run continues. (Babe Stewart)
Be My . . . Be My Baby/Bosom Buddies (Fringe) Jack ltlaii, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 31 Aug (alternate dates), 12.30pm, £645. 50 (£5/£4).
this year's festival! You may claim as many different offers as you wish, but only one pair of tickets per voucher, on
a“: FREELOAD :0:
ON THE
if FEWAL if
Your chance to see some of the best shows in
a FIRST COME. FIRST SERVED basis. Please take the whole magazine along with you each time. All offers are subject to availability and the individual management's decision is final. Tickets should be picked up on the day of the performance in each case. ENJOY THE SHOW
SLIPPERY WHEN WET- JEREMY ROBINS
Free tickets on Monday 19 August at 11.30pm. Tickets should be collected from Becks Famous Spiegeltent box office from 9am.
5 pairs of tickets available.
THE SCOOBY-DOO GENERATION
Free tickets on Monday 19 August & Tuesday 20 August at 7.30pm. Tickets should be collected from the City Cafe from 7.15pm
5 pairs available per night.
BATTLEFIELD BAND
Free tickets on 16,17 & 18 August at 7.30pm. Tickets should be collected from the Queen’s Hall box office from 10am.
5 pairs available per night.
' CATALPA BY DONAL O’KELLY
Free tickets on Monday 19 8: Tuesday 20 August at 8.45pm. Tickets should be collected from the Theatre Workshop box office from 103m.
5 pairs available per night.
DRY SLOPES IN THE FLESH
Free tickets on Sunday 18 August at 1.45pm. Tickets should be collected from the Pleasance box office from 1 1am.
10 pairs of tickets available. I
CHINESE STATE CIRCUS
Free tickets on Tuesday 20 August 8r Wednesday 21 August at 8pm. Tickets should be collected from The Theatre Big Top box office from 9.30am.
5 pairs available per night.
The List m-zz Aug i996 25