~ Hill

ELECTRIC SOUNDS FROM JAPAN. VOICE, DANCE, SONG AND SOUND

A FEAST FOR THE SENSES!

festival 93"" -1pm

Walter, titere’s Dinosaur

In My Shoo

***

THE KYOTO CITY GOVERNMENT

‘3 APAN EXPERIENCE 15

THE RANDOLPH STUDIOS (VENUE 55) 13 RANDOLPH CRESCENT EDINBURGH

013i 225 5366

-2] AUGUST

12pm (lpm) £5.00 (£4.50)

DINOSAUR IN MY SHOE

lan Saville. the socialist magician. teams up with songwriter Leon Rosselson for an hour of magic. story-telling. songs and very silly ventriloquism for 4—9- year-olds.

Together they make a strong story-telling combo: individually Rosselson is a very adept musician. who has been around for yonks. and whatever Saville lacks in ventriloquism skills he more than makes up for in affability and a nice turn in vanishing tricks. Which is saying a lot for him as a magi-‘ian really because. I'm '4 .re he won't mind me saying. he's a crap ventriloquist. The reason I'm sure he won't mind. is because he really doesn't take himself that seriously. At least. I hope he doesn't. or he's liable to turn me into a . . ribbit . ..ribbit . . . (Gabe Stewart)

I Dinosaur in My Shoe (Fringe) Ian Saviile and Leon Rosselson. Hill Street Theatre (Venue 4 l) 226 ()522. l0.30am. until 24 Aug. £4.50 (£3.50).

*‘k‘k

SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS lT All. TO YOU/ THE ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE

Snappy. biting. semi- sniping satire at the expense of the Catholic Church is always a delight . . especially when it's done in Irish accents and with a certain sense of churlish vigour. Catriona Clancy as Sister Mary has both the vigour and the accents to create a suitably believable lead and. in a potentially complex production. the cast handle changes in pace with smooth professionalism. The

same applies to those involved with The Actor's Nightmare - with which Sister Mary Ignatius is jointly-billed. Fresh- faced. floppy-fringed Darren Day-alike Graeme Richardson has the perfect comic timing and Hugh Laurie-esque reactions to make his monologues work brilliantly. and ends up outshone only by (my schoolboy actor Adam

Sister Mary Ignatius: semi- sniping satire

Blain Pryce. whose linger~waving. Bible- quoting. cookie-grabbing contributions instil new faith in the future of British theatre. See if you can take a long lunch. (Danny Wallace)

I Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All To You/T he Actor‘s Nightmare (Fringe) Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2 152.

until 30 Aug. l2.30pm. £6.50 (£5.50).

Ben Moor in frenzied treetall weirdness

**** TWELVE

Our hero receives a series of twelve phone calls. With each call. the caller

twelve to one. Not so much a narrative device as an excuse to string together a beautiful collection of disparate bizarre observations. in Ben Moor's world. when ice cream vendors and Radio One Dis go on strike. the army steps in. He observes that the good don‘t die young. they die smug. And don‘t think l’m giving away the best gags. 'cos there are literally hundreds of the buggers. No cliché is safe; puns are'taken pitilessly to

their illogical extreme. The resolution to the

telephone in packed with

ystery is far tnore

pathos than any thriller/sci-fi oddball alternative. and shows Moor in a surprisingly dramatic ditnension. Moor's been bubbling

under for ye

ars. It's time

he surfaced as the comic genius that he is. (Gabe

Stewart)

I Twelve (Fringe) Ben Moor. Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550. until 3]

Aug. l2.30p (£5/£4).

THEATRE REVIEW

iii. £6/£5

ANTIGDNES

Lovers of Greek theatre and Brecht are in for a real treat in these strong. vibrant renderings of Sophocles’. Antigone. and Brecht's reinterpretation. showing on alternate days. in the original version.

director Dou balanced inn

g Rintoul has ovation and

tradition. fear and pity.

allowing the

Greek classic

to breathe free.

The Brechtian interpretation is also admirable. even if the chorus‘. constant smirking becomes slightly irritating but this really is nit- picking. because the overall production is simply superb.

The enthusiastic cast

members of

20 to Theatre

possess a maturity beyond

their years. i execution of and powerfu performance Birmingham students put professional shame. In a t

it their

such vibrant l

s. these Drama many companies to ruly

remarkable feat of ensemble playing. there were potent performances from both characters and chorus members. and a

multitude of

goosepimples

in the audience. As for Doug Rintoul. watch out

for his name

in future.

(Gabe Stewart) I Antlgones (Fringe) 20 to Theatre. Hill Street

Theatre (Ven

ue4l)226

6522. l2.45pm. until 3| Aug (alternate shows on

alternate days) £5 (£4).

Antigones ‘a cat ireat'

Wm

*fliifi ittt

tit it

Unmissahle Very good Worth seeing Below average You've been warned

26 The List l6-22 Aug 1996