Funct
F but one acclaimed throughout the world fOr his 'Omar is a bit like \N’illi, L}Q(71dn_' no 5M8. dHUdlng Academy Award-winning filmscript. A~foor7struck tO Arthur Miller’s 0mm 0: A swam“, (He feels
Andy Arnold. artistic director of the Arches sees the same insecurities about failure' THE BIG FUNK, the resident this rare European production of Shanley's New But don't assume th ‘9 comparisons with . York hit. The Big Funk. as being not merely for Mamet and Miller mean a big slab of >\lllt‘llt‘.'tll , \ \ company s theatncal _ thirtysomethings. even if it's ab0ut them. naturalism; Arnold maintains that Shanlet ‘s voice COI‘ItrIbUtIOD t0 FUHCt, IS a 'lt's a comedy format of that kind. in places. is more distinctitely theatrical than either of those high-stress comedy about but it's also a big philosophical debate. a heawweights. ‘There isn‘t all the Pinteiesgue . - conversation about the big issues in life. domg obsessIons with half-finished sentences and those great th" t! somethlng something about your life.’ he says. 'There's a lot naturalism here.‘ he says. This is a ten theatrical
questions in life: knife- throwing, twin babies and a date from hell. Words: Steve Cramer
of one-liners that are very
reminiscent of Mamet. One of the 80, there you arei Single agami feeling characters is very like Bernie in VagUely Unsett'edi lOOkIflg er an Sexua/ Perversuy. Wlth misogynlst emotional-breakthroughadjustment-
put-downs a speCiality. But there's a experience. Or failing that a shag lot more to him than that.’
Many of Shanley's characters are not just
0. there you are. single again, eye
wandering. feeling vaguely unsettled. piece. where the characters step in and out of the
looking for an emotional-breakthrough- born-bad folk. but emotionally damaged people. plot. addressing the audience in lil()llt)l()gtl(‘,t§. adjustment-experience. Or failing that. a shag. who use hostility as a defence mechanism. then walking hack into the play. This kind of stuff You're having one of those dirty-something crises. The Big Funk tells the story of Omar. a knife has been done before. of course. but it works I reckon. But don‘t feel alone. Friends has been thrower who's started missing his marks. One really well here. since Shanley has worked as an running so long it should be called Old Friends night he comes home to find his partner actor and director. and the show is about theatre and it's there to tell you what happens some years expecting twins the next day. If that weren't people.‘ after folk leave college and begin to contemplate enough. his best pal arrives for dinner with the big decisions like marriage and stuff. There's a first date from hell. It's a time that requires nerves The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 6-Fri 23 Mar.
whole industry centred on this time of life. perhaps of steel. Do they have them? What d'ya think? because these are folk with more disposable dosh For all the high-stress than those both older and younger than comedy created by the The Big Funk:
themselves. decision we take not merely for But this is not just a movie and cinema thing. about being either out thiny3°m°min93
ln pieces such as Sexual Perversity In Chicago. there again or indoors
David Mamet covered the same territory with a with the kids forever.
good deal more thought and style in the theatre. there are still more
Another exponent is John Patrick Shanley. a writer profound themes.
less known on our shores than in his native US. according to Arnold.
FUNOT HITLIST
Five of the best, caned straight from the Funct headmaster
Sunday Social (Sun 4 Mar) The Ghetto Grammar (Sun 11 Mar) Social goes multi- Learn. practice and develop your media with audio hip-hop Djing. mixing. scratching. and visual MC and lyric-writing technique at the delights. Ninja Arches with this full day of ' Tunes’ workshops led by the UK’s own Hexstatic share Gamma. Plus One and Killer Kela top billing with (Scratch Perverts). Baby In Yer Face Mammom. Who , Theatre (Wed 14 are warming up for Mar) The most
their US tour provocative recent supporting Pavement's Steve theatre - Blasted,
Malkmus. Also on hand are The M010, Shopping
Lightsurgeons with a VJ set and And Fucking, Cinefeel Videolvlusic Lounge. Trainspotting - programmed by FranCOlSe LamY- doesn’t merely employ cheap shock
Jeru The Damaja (Wed 14 Mar) The amazing
Damaja
transforms hip-
hop before
your very eyes.
His set at the
Arches promises
something new.
and if you‘ve heard all
that before recall his 1996 video ‘Ya Playin Ya'Self'. which introduced the kung fu style that‘s since overrun commercials. films and music Videos.
tactics. it’s an exciting outburst of creation expression. Hosted by our own theatre editor Dr Steve Cramer, this is explored by Aleks Sierz. author of the ln Yer Face Theatre criticism book and Arches Theatre Company director Andy Arnold.
Badmarsh & Shri (Thu 8 Mar) Wicked four-way collision involving Hackney Junglism, Jamaican ragga. Indian classical music and American house orchestrated by Badmarsh and Shri and featuring special guests from Nitin Sawnhey's band. rapper JC1OO and tabla player Aref.