~ 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