Left and near right: The Duchess of Malfi by the National Theatre, above and far right: The Merry Wives of Windsor by the RSC; above right: Coriolanus also by the RSC
()VL‘I' lhc ncxt l'ortnight. \xc‘rc to hc \ixitcd h) t\\o companim \xhich haw prcxcntcd cithcr \llL‘L‘L‘MIIII or appalling dcpcnding on ho“ you look at it modclx for national \calc organixationx. l-‘rom lingland. “c can \cc thc National 'l'hcatrc‘x production of 'l'ln' Ihu‘lu'spx ulflIIu/fi at thc King‘x 'I‘hcatrc. lidinhurgh. \xltilc thc RS(' \xill hc \ixiting Barrhcad “ith pt‘odtlctionx ol~ (brim/(111m and HM .Ilt'l'l‘)‘ IIti'm (if. “Tilt/\(H'. l’crhapx cach prcxcntx \ inuc and \ icc h} thc \amc dcgrcc. l‘ndcr Adrian Nohlc'x rcign. thc RS(‘ produccd a grcat dcal of \hitt) \hitt) and \cr) Iittlc hang hang. 'I‘o hcar thc Phrase ’RS(" \xithout thc pi'ct'n ‘trouhlcd‘ or ‘hclcagucrcd' is a raw trcat. 'l'hix ix pattiall) hccauxc \uch organixationx rcquirc a \uDrcmo to run thcm and lo chooxc \omconc tor thc ,iUh. somcthing ot‘ a poionch chalicc. ix a littlc Iikc playing Rtmian roulcttc. 'I‘hix might hc truc of an} anixtic dircctor in an) thcatrc. hut thc dilitcrcncc ix thc \calc of thc in\c\tmcnt and thc potcntial for cataxtrophc. 'I'hc RS("\ ncu man.
Michcal Bo} d. l‘ormall} ol'(ila\go\\ '\ 'I't'on. ix )ct to takc o\ct’
and in thc mcantimc. \xc hopc that itx rccox ci‘} continua \\ ith thcsc t\\o Shakestwarc productionx. But thc productions thcmxchcs gi\c )ou an idca ol‘ uh}
\\ c don't nccd a national. 'I‘hc \cnxc of prcxcrxation. ot‘
hcritagc an argumcnt ll\L‘LI h) \otnc Scottixh admcatcx ot' a national thcatrc and. to mc. a \Iightl) dodg} onc in itxclt'
docxn‘t rcall) appl} in Scotland. for thc nati\c tradition of thcatrc ix not tts strong. l.ct mc acknou lcdgc thc imponancc ot‘
such \u'itcrx ax Bridic. (‘orric. l'na Lamont Stcnan and \\ hat haVc _\ou. hut thc Norwegians huilt thcir national around
'I WON'T HAVE THE ENGLISH LAUGH AT US WHILE WE STAGE THE ANATOMIST AGAINST THEIR KING LEAR'
lhxcn. and lhxcn thcxc lolkx \x'crcn't. l “on! haw lhc linglixlt laugh at ll\ \xhilc \xc \tagc 'Iilu' Aim/(mm! againxt thcir King lx'ur. Scotland‘x gi'calcxt \\ ritcix for thc thcatrc .lohn .\Ic( irath. lochhcad. (ircig. and \o Ionh arc product\ of thc laxt quancr ccntur} or \o. 'Iihc} don't nccd a lllll\L‘llltl huilt to thcin. jlixt cnongh monc} in Scotlixh thcatrc to allou c\i\ting L‘Hlllpétnlc\ to I'm i\c thcm.
’l‘hcn thcrc'x thc inonc}. 'l‘hc ()pcra llousc in Sylnc}. \xhci'c I grcu up. hccamc a magnct tor tnonc}. draining hc)ond itx quickl) ahxorhcd guarantccd funding and \ucking thc lit'c out ol local Sylnc) lhcati'c. It \ccmcd to a lot ol u\ at drama \cltool\ in lhc Xllx that hclin‘c itx \ampit‘ic inl'lucncc “ax l'clt. thcrc'd hccn a lot morc \Htl'lx out thcrc tor )Ullllg thcatt'c \xorkcrx through llt)\\-CIU\CLI thcatrcx. Inxlcad. lhci'c \xcrc a lot morc hurcaucratx in Armani \tlllx.
'l‘hc linglixh National. thcxc da_\\. pt‘L‘\L'tll\ hcantil‘ull} accomplishcd thcatrc. though \omc of it so lacks thc t'ottgltttc\\ ol' rcal. |i\c thcatrc. that it l'cclx Iikc TV at timcx. But it l\ alw moi'c al'l'ordahlc. rclatix c to thc itl'I\ hudch \incc thc rclcaxc ol tcnxion that thc “(l-\tIL‘II chon ci'catcd h} incrcaxing l'unding to linglixh thcatrc acroxx thc hoard. .\Ia}hc altcr thc cqunalcnt financial uplitt in Scotland. \\ c could think ahout it. But cwn thcn. I'm not so \urc . . .
The Duchess of Malfi is at the King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 1-Sat 5 Apr; The Merry Wives of Windsor and Coriolanus are at Barrhead Sports Centre, Tue 1-Sat 5 Apr.
".'r:' ' [11$ .' 2 THE LIST 21