_ I A theatre - dance - comedy
THEATRE PREVIEW Split personalities
An early Sam Shepard play loses its Festival Cherry at last Throwing pornography and venture capitalism into the middle of a revolution liberally sprinkled with sex, sex and more sex is just the sort of stunt one has come to expect from Sam Shepard. But in Shaved Splits, America's leanest, meanest, obscenest playwright creates scenes that make Quentin Tarantino‘s dialogue look like a Sunday school outing.
'It opens with probably the most gratuitous sexual monologue I've ever read,’ drawls actor Gabriel Kuttner. 'He designed it to shock and offend. A voluptuous young redhead called Cherry is lying on her bed high up in her castle in a sort of imagined New York City, nibbling chocolates and fantasising explicit sexual scenes from pornographic novels, in the absence of her corporate jet setting husband. She flirts and experiments with all the decadence money can buy, she has servants who have servants who have servants. But there's a revolution taking place outside her window.’ The fun really starts when an injured revolutionary comes in and takes Cherry hostage. The two desperately try
to hold onto their beliefs until . . . well that would be
telling.
Shaved Splits was written during Shepard’s time at La Mama - New York City's temple of avant-garde theatre - before he became artist-in-residence at London's Royal Court Theatre. It was first performed in New York in 1970 but has never played in Britain until now.
The sheer pace of the play challenges the four actors and director Matthew Gray, who make up Anglo-
Shootforthe
stars and stripes: Gabriel Kuttner in Shaved Splits
American company Pontoon Productions. ‘The rhythms
change and the scenes move so quickly, and it demands
such complete focus and attentiveness, that you can only get there by trusting his crazy play 100 per cent,’ says Kuttner. 'Once you start to question where you are and ask, "How did my character end up here?" or "Why is he doing this?" then the moment is gone and you've lost it.’ (Stephanie Noblett)
For details, see Hit list, right
COMEDY PREVIEW
Brain Souffle
Scott Capurro is not known for his good taste, and Brain Souffle is no exception. A one-man play originally
Scott Capurro: all you need is glove
intended for a cast, it explores the delicate tOpics of date-rape, stalking and murder in a typically depraved fashion. 'I wanted to use a cast, but couldn't afford the air fare. So I use oven mitts instead.’
It's all true. The play sees Capurro
play Tom, an alcoholic comedian With an unhealthy obsession for an uninterested one-night stand As supporting oven rnitts portray therapist, friend and even white trash stepsister, Tom's dangerous fixation wrth the stranger escalates, clirnaxing in a drama-queen date-rape scene 'lt's auto'riiogiaphital, I guess,’ states Capurro 'A guy I was seeing onte attused me of violating him, even though were never llllt lothed together i didn't understand, and l felt awful that I'd made him feel that way, but I also thought, "This would make a great play
The play is much more light-hearted than its subject matter might suggest. as Capurro's casting of Taylor, the Victim, testifies. ‘I wanted him to be more real than the others,’ he says. ’So I cast a sock to play him. A sock is more expressive than an oven mitt' (Nicky Agate) For details, see Hit list, right
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HT LIST
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[8 50/1 / 51’) if/ 517/16 ‘30)
The Water Juggler South Afrit an (oinpany l/louthpeare explore the mystery and [HM iousness of water in a desert Iari'l lhe li’ate 1/ Juggler (Fringe) Traverse ’l/‘iiatre l‘.“’t‘llt.'t’ 7‘5) 228 lt’O-J, i'i/rres vary, f‘) ([6) [)lf’kltw‘.’ ,shoL'J ll Aug, l2 50pm, {i3 ([4) Krapp's Last Tape lhe RSC perfoiin Berkett's (lassir for the first time, Wllll Eduard Pl‘lllf’.’l)ll(ffl(‘ Hi the solo role See preview on following pages Krapp’s last Tape i’l'ringe) Krapp’s last Tape, Asseriihly Rooms (Venue 3’) 226 2428, llll)(,‘,’> vary, {9 “8)
Hitchcock's Half Hour — Psycho Vertigo Disco Cornt-d/ duo who won the Hatkne,’ Erripire New Art Of The Year award in the footsteps of Ardal O'Hanlon and Alan Dd‘.’lt.“> See preview on following pages. Psyrho Vertigo 01;: o (fringe) Hitchcot k’s Hall Hour, lesarir‘e (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 3/ Aug (not 70, 24) 4 3’0prn,
[7 50/[6 50 ([6 SO/[S 50)
Myra & Me Disser ting Hindle,’ Bool: early so you (an make your own mind up about what is surely destined to he one of the year's most (OlllfO‘v’L’fSldl shows Myra 8 Me (Fringe) Northern Theatre Co, Ca/der’s Gilded Balloon // ("Jeni/e 36) 226 2 l 5 l, 7 37 Aug (no! ll, 25) 4 75pm, [6 SO IL’S 50)
Tales From The Women's Locker Room Two short plays by Scottish women from Glasgow's Senga Theatre Company See prevrew on followmg pages Tales From The Women 's Locker Room (Fringe) Calder’s Gilded Balloon ll Went/e 38) 226 2157, 7~ 16 Aug, 3 45pm, [6 ([5)
6—1 3 Aug l998 THE “ST 47