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HOW MANY MILES TO BABYLON?
Craigmillar Arts Centre, Edinburgh, Thu 29 Mar, then touring, COO
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':if‘.‘rairst:r.. t'ee.'."nr,-elrng. .rsual f3?,’lf: are preser‘vt u'. thr'; prr/Iuctrcn of John ‘rlarxey's fare of a hr/arre reiigrous cult. Karen ier‘nent's set shows a run- rlown reception “all complete with ",tarrr, and as nan, doors as you'd see in a boulevard farce. A kind of ;,ararioia rs Greater: by various figures frrttrng I'I and out. as the eerily—lit action proceeds.
I~Iar‘.'ey s plot gives us a window rnto the latter life of one Anthony Mrlner- Green rChrrs )rargi a man who corwrnces others of his holy vision. which seems to involve the appearance of a tattered»lookrng angel with an accordion rNrna Karersl. I.'./o rnrshegotten neophytes. Carla r()atherrne Grllardi and Edward (Peter C-‘irrmesl tell us stories of alienation and tragedy. overseen by Mrlner-Green's sinister underlrng rStewart Ennis). who runs a line in bad stand-up as well as enigmatic rnutterrngs. As a successron of weird. childlike songs propel us through the action. the whole bunch travel toward a selflextrngurslring end foreslradowerI by the show's opening.
Angels in dirty spaces: Nina Kareis
Most of the dramatic tension proceeds from the central character's motrves. We suspect him of being a charlatan early on. as he comes among the audience. Donohue—lrke. Speak of hrs experiences. but we increasineg feel that he rs as much SLIDIOCI to delusion as his followers.
The problem with Harvey‘s script. though. is that rt fails to answer the guestrons rarsed. In fairness. this rs perhaps the intention. but that makes rt no less dissatrsfyrng for the audience expecting to take a position on the events at the play's tragic denouernent. It looks gorgeous all evening. but doesn't deliver at the end. I've been on dates like that. (Steve Cramerr
Theatre
THE CORNERSHOP MacRobert. Stirling, Thu 29 Mar. then touring.
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DANCE
JEKYLL 8: HYDE
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 3—7 Apr; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 26—30 Jun. .0
Whether it's Hitler or Hannibal Lecter. evrl compels attentron. Especially fascinating is our own capacity for \.'./r(:kedness. a potential explorted by Robert Louis Stevenson in his 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl/ and Mr Hvde. The classic tale of a serentrst who awakens the demon Within seems rdeal for Northern Ballet Theatre. given the Leeds-based company's hrt 1996 adaptatron of Bram Stoker's [)racrr/a. But ltalran director—choreographer Massrmo Morrcone has fashioned a horror of the wrong sort.
Spread think. across three acts. Morrcone's scenario rs devoid of the kinetic or emotional detai; that elrcrts sympathetic involvement. Two dancers play the leads. hasrc and fata: 'nrstake. Jekyll rDanreI de Andradel rs an unreadable basket case. i.-.hile the shaman—headed Hyde rJonathan Ollrvrerr rs a nasty. nee-Goth fetrshrst attended by a srnal’. slrtherrng tribe of sexed-up. masked monsters. Jekyll's inner illi'iiOii rernarns untapped. despite some gymnastic intertwrnes between him and livie. There are no women in Ste\./(-3rrson's story. so Morrcone rnvents a listless whore and vain fiancee so he can choreograph a few hetero duets.
lhe production rs overblown. With cnrc. deco-Gothic montrmentalrsnt replacing trad Victorrana. Frlrn covers set changes. an intriguing devrce rrdrculously overextended. Philip \«’Vrlhy's original score mixes styles in a manner that rs erther musical eclecticrsm or personality disorder. Shocks are generally in short supply. rDonatd Huterar
YOUTH THEATRF THE BAY Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 29-Sat 31 Mar.
When I was six a fairy vrSrted me. hovered by my bed for a while then (ilSi‘tpl.)(-}£tl‘(3d. But I'm no Ally IvIcBeaI. I grew up. got cynical and filed the fairy episode in a corner marked overactive imagination. But imagine revrsrtrng a world where anything can happen. good or bad. Thrs is the atmosphere created in East Glasgow Youth Theatre's new play. devrsed with wrrter Des Dillon.
Peitorrned by teenagers. the play focuses on a school camping trip. Things don't run smoothly (they travelled up by trarn after all) and the group become stranded without their teachers. Every teenager's wet dream surely? It might be if people didn't keep disappearing. It all sounds pretty eerre and. dare I say rt. pretty B/a/r lr‘r/rtch-esgue. The Bay is an original work. but consider that there's all these teenagers who tend to relate to film when coming up with rdeas.‘ says directOr Karen Fry. ‘We ended up with a hotchpotch of horror and comedy. We've got Chewing-The—Bloomrng-Fat and everything.’
It all sounds a lot scarier than my little fairy. ‘I'm not sure their mammres would be too happy with the films they've been watching. It's supernatural. but it's almost possible' erI someone come wrth me and hold my hand”? rKrk Rerdr
28 - 31 MARCH 7.30PM Romeo and Juliet
Mearns Castle High School transpOrts Shakespeare s tragedy by gender: v.0rnen rule. girls roam the streets looking for fights. and boys are kept clorstered at home
Tickets: £5/3 Ticket Centre 6 - 7 APRIL 8PM Théétre a la carte
In a restaurant. part of the pleasure rs to make your own chOrce from the menu - so why not do the same at Elsa Porsot s Cabaret Litterarre? Tickets 26/3 From the Ramshorn
The Ramshorn Theatre 98 Ingram Street
Ticket Centre 0141 287 5511
Glasgow G1 1ES
253 ARGYLE ST GLASGOW G2 8DL
£8/£4 8pm 4"‘-7"‘ April
2 for 1 tickets on first night
t .
them-lies
>theatre
presents
TOTAL THEATRE AWARD WINNER and HUGE hit at the Edinburgh Festival 2000!
‘*****’ m: usuuc zooo ‘*****’ scorsmuwczooo
0901 022 0300'
calls charged at 25p per min
www.thearches.co.uk
1/ ' '.'::' './ 2";0' THE LIST 59