THE JOFFBEY BALLET OF CHICAGO haven‘t been the same since they were seduced by the sexy sounds of The Artist Formerly Known As 6?: Seen here auditioning for More magazine‘s Position Of The Week — er. sorry. performing a scene from Billboards. ‘The Ultimate Rock Ballet' — these once well behaved dancers have been causing ructions with their lycra-clad gyrations to Prince classics such as Sign ‘O' The Times and Purple Rain. But fans hoping to catch a glimpse of His Purpleness will be disappointed. His face may be plastered all over the publicity. but the Sexy MF‘s presence is strictly pre- recorded. And though it would be easy to suppose otherwise. there are no specially-commissioned tunes here -just some selections from that bulging back- catalogue. Critical response to the show in London has hardly been diamonds and pearls: Edinburgh audiences will have to come and decide for themselves whether Billboards is as lovesexy as the pint-sized popster’s tunes. (Ellie Carr)
Billboards is at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 25—5101 6 Oct.
JAll WOBBLE isn’t the first person you’d associate with 18th century poet and painter William Blake; but think ‘visionary’ and ‘Londoner’ and you’ll find them in the same bag. Wobble - an old pal of John Lydon, who was ‘too much of a yob’ to join the Sex Pistols, but later became PIL’s founding bassist - discovered Blake’s Songs ("Innocence And 0! Experience when a mate gave him the book a few years back. Now he’s releasing an album, The Inspiration 0! William Blake, featuring Blake’s words against an atmospheric soundscape. ‘At first I was like, “Tyger, Tyger - fuck off!”,’ he recalls. ‘I thought Blake was some middle- class tosser who shot tigers and wrote poems about it. Then late one night when I was bored I started reading him.’ Pop-pickers may be unconvinced by Wobble’s portentous, melodramatic readings (Island Records were — the album is released on Wobble’s 30 Hertz label) but the old magic is still there in the seductive backing tracks and instrumentals - Wobble’s usual blend of Eastern esoterica and Western beats, with those distinctive basslines throbbing underneath. ‘Whenever I come in contact with great art, the illusion of separation is lifted and I feel very connected,’ he explains. ‘lt’s like when you have a good deep conversation - it’s this incredible thing where two minds merge into one.’ (Andrew Burnet)
The Inspiration 0! William Blake comes out on Mon 23 Sept.
OEMI MOORE might not have had a hit for ages — Now And Then. The Juror and The Scarlet Letter didn‘t exactly outstay their welcome in Scottish cinemas — but that hasn‘t stopped her picking up a Sl2.5 million paycheck for Striptease. Likewise her character. former FBI clerk Erin Grant. isn't too embarrassed about paying the bills in a less than dignified manner as a topless dancer at the Eager Beaver bar. ‘The story is grounded in a beautiful relationship between a mother and daughter.‘ says the actress. justifying her own involvement and that of her real-life daughter Rumer Willis. ‘1 met a stripper. a single mother. who is putting two children through private school. and owns her own home and a rental apartment that gives her extra income. As a mother of three myself. I don't judge that as being any less a professional choice than any of us have opted for.‘ (Alan Morrison)
Striptease goes on general release on Fri 20 Sept.
The Llat’s at-e-glance guide to the highllghta of the fortnight ahead.
I Music: Suede Brett Anderson. master of the louche. the glam and the ambiguous bounces back onto form with Suede’s new album Coming Up. More glitzy than the graveyard sonority of their last outing. Anderson seems to have found his lost taste for sparkly trash. See feature. Barrow/and. Glasgow. Tue 1 Oct.
I Theatre: Fabrlka lludl (The Human Factory) A powerful evocation of post-war trauma and an uncertain future. performed with astonishing skill and commitment by four members of Teatr NovoG.O. Fronta. who hail from St Petersburg but have forged a reputation on the streets of Prague. See review.
Arches Theatre. Glasgow. until Sat 2/ Sept.
I Music: The Prodlgy Lights? Check. Sound? Check. Bizarrer coiffeured nutjob with piercings in painful places? Check. Must be the Prods then. Dig out your dancing bootees and if you‘re very lucky then that nice man with the red eyes might sing a song from their forthcoming album. See feature.
Barrowland. Glasgow. Thurs 3 Oct. I Film: lea Apprentia Francois Cluzet and Guillaume Depardieu star in this witty and unsentirnental comedy by Pierre Salvadori. If you could imagine a French version of Withnail & I (ie with slightly more salubrious characters. less booze and more women) then you’re halfway there. See review.
F ilnrhouse. Edinburgh. front Fri 20 Sept; GFT. Glasgow front Tue 22 Oct. I Music: Blue llle Back in the saddle after an absence of four hundred decades or so. the lads get around to playing their new album. Peace At Last. in a live setting.
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Fri 27 Sept—Tue I Oct.
I Theatre: Men Should Weep Ena Lamont Stewart's classic socialist drama of Glaswegian tenement life during the depression was first presented 52 years ago. and receives its second major revival as a co- production between TAG Theatre Company and Dundee Rep. directed by TAG's Tony Graham. See preview. MacRobert Arts Centre. Stirling and touring.
The List 20 Sept-3 Oct I996 3