theatre ° dance 0 comedy
Fiona, Scottish flatmates in an all-too- cosy London flat. It centres on their romantic and domestic entanglements, and explores the tenants’ last taboo -< sexual subtext between flatmates.
’All the humour comes from these moments of humanity where we say, "oh God, don’t say that, don’t get drunk, don't kiss him," because we’ve been there ourselves,’ comments Ruta. Will Doug and Fiona finally get together? Find out! (Steve Cramer)
E Room (Fringe) Belladonna Productions, Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, 7—37 Aug, 5 Sep, 7.20pm, [9/[8 (£8/f7).
THEATRE PREVIEW Room
The title suggests Pinter, but Glasgow— born Jackie Kane's play ~ recently a success at the White Bear in London, and soon to be produced as a film -- has a scenario more like Men Behaving Badly or Game On than anything produced by the old pausemeister. Director Michael Ruta, though, is chary of such comparisons: ’It’s a piece of Itself, really, a kind of modern comic-romantic tale,’ he says. ’There’s more understatement to this play, it’s more like Frazier than a British sitcom.’ The play focuses on Doug and
COMEDY Q 8: A
knowmg why.
Jill: Drinking a pint of gin while playing dominoes in a mobile home on Arran.
What's your idea of hell?
Viv: everybody laughing at me and not knowmg why.
Jill: Livingston.
What would you like to be when you
Viv & Jill What is your typical Festival day like?
Viv: We open all our Festival presents, then we have Festival dinner and watch Festival TV.
Jill: Hopefully The Sound Of Music will
be 0“. grow up?
What is your preferred mode of Jill: A sumo wrestler, We always
“3MP”? enjoyed wearing my pants in big Jill: A stretcher. wedgie.
Will your Festival show contain any Viv; Vivien and Jillian,
of your tamed baked bean stunts? What is you, advice to wade“
Viv: That’s top secret information we can’t disclose at this time.
lill: Shut up, Viv. Yes we will, but don’t worry - we won't be using real beans. What's your idea of heaven?
Viv: Everybody laughing at me and
wanting to get a Festival shag?
Viv: St0p phoning me, l'm no good at it. (Compiled by Stephanie Noblett)
fi Viv & lill (Fringe) Viv 81 Jill, Calder’s Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2151, 7—3 1 Aug, 6.30pm, £6. 50 (f 5.50).
Fran Landesman’s
"Musical theatre at its spa "Fran Landesman is o:
words by FRAN LANDESMAN music by SIMON WALLACE directed by JOANNA HOLE
PLEASANCE O I 3| 556 6550
ill! (“MET BAR, PLEASANCL 60 ill! PLEASANCE. EDINBURGH EH8 91L
58 THE LIST 6—13 Aug 1998
‘ .. K 5: (‘25
THEATRE PREVIEW Dumped
Anyone who has ever experienced the thrill of uncovering something valuable in the trash Will relate to this account of comedian Franco Murphy and his downfall, by Irish playwright Daragh Carville.
Like Carwlle’s debut, Language Roulette (which was seen at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre in 1996), this blackly humorous drama is set in a version of Belfast, but promises to take the audience into a ’darker, stranger area'. It uses the setting of a rubbish skip as a Visual metaphor for emotional TGJE’CLIOH and physical abandonment.
Attempts to unearth hidden riches through ’skip-hoking’ parallel the search for love and identity. CarVilIe acknowledges a fascination With the idea of skips as potential places of riches and danger. ’The skip is like the play,’ he says. ’lt’s anarchic because you never know what you might find!’
For anyone who’s been dumped, has dumped or Just wants to savour CarVille’s dark humour, Dumped is a Fringe treasure worth raking for. (Caroline Brown)
3 Dumped (Fringe) National Youth Theatre, P/easance (Venue 33) 556 6550, 6—16 Aug (not 77) 6. 75pm, [7 (£5).
CONCESSIONS) _» w H ,. ..
Sharing is caring: Room
COMEDY PREVIEW Man Of A Thousand Heads
’l got the title from a gag I used to tell,’ says KeVin Gildea of his strangely monikered show. ’I had this uncle who was a film star in the 30s, known as the man of a thousand faces. He never got much work ’cause he was too busy shaVing. I changed faces to heads ’cause it sounds more insane.’
DeSpite going down a storm last year, Gildea isn’t resting on his comedic laurels. 'I’m known for dOing gags about sex and relationships, and I still Will be,’ he confirms. ’But now I’m actually trying to say something substantial. There’s a lot of surreal comedy around Just now which I love and I even do some, but I think a few comics are starting to think you can do more.’
Three and a half weeks is a lengthy residency, but Gildea is ready to hold court. 'You focus on the material, because the venue is as familiar as your own home, and the audience are guests you’ve invited round for the evening,’ His only worry is the early hour. ’I hope nobody brings their kids. This isn't a show for people who are normally in bed by nine o’clock.’
(Rob Fraser)
Man Of A Thousand Heads (Fringe) Kevin Gildea, Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, 7—31 Aug, 7 35pm, [9/[8 (KB/£7).
starring NICOLA BLACKMAN CHARLES cox sur HOLLAND NlCKl LEIGHTON-THOMAS