Theatre
Brunton Theatre. Musselburgh, Fri
.wmsm can} help muse: 25 & Sat 26 Mar excitedbytheprospects My, .. ,, ., .,. t . presentedbythisyear’s , 1, ; / , .. lntemationalFestival,wherethe ,,,,,,,:_.,,,,. .,. , theatreprogrammeoffers mm, . .1 .. goodlesforanynumberoftastes. H”. , . H , 1 ,, Forfansoftheclassics,and “Hwy. .. ,. 1 I. ,,. particularty JM Synge, there'sa T w I .i, , . jamboree ahead,withthe entire ,i,‘ < : Syngetheatricaloeuvreon (2,, 1,, . . . : running throughout thefestival. 5.1.1,“, :.
Playboy, DierdreoftheSorrows :1 1;. - I .. and The WelloftheSaintsand .,.,” “,5, , ,1, ,, ,, more are all on display inarolling m... I”; ,4 .. , ,. 1, mpeflorypmgrammefromthe liii,i‘.i1~".""" hi".
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world today. Alongside the lyrical elegance of Synge, there’s another Chekov, indeed, another version of The Seagull, this time from the Hungarian company Kretakor Szinhaz. But surely one
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Britain, its ethnic and political tensions, and attitudes to Islam, Christianity and Judaism in particular are examined through the medium of a multi-faith prayer room in a British college. Expect controversy and revelation. Another piece dealing I, with ethnicity in contemporary I, Britain is Chiew Siah Tei’s Three 4. , Thousand Troubled Threads, a g _ Stellar Quines co-production ~ .i ' telling the tale of multi-ethnic \
Britain told through the eyes of a
woman of Chinese origins in
Glasgow. Identity, race and , sellhoodseemverymuchtothe _ fore in both these plays. 3, I David Harrower also makes a retum with a tale of 1.‘ contemporary sexual and legal taboo in Blackbird. The great 11 Peter Stein returns to direct this
piece, a tale of a man in his 505,
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found guilty and imprisoned for sex with an underage girl many MUSICN years before the play’s setting. HEAL! 8mm than Touring meetstheeye. .misvvafiew and even some Amusittalahoiitdespair, IOHUIIHOSS.(Hi/12180”(2‘ 1',Y‘7_"'ilr'/fli’, I .f "ii-r' r-r Japanese Nah W'What No. it's not the one about Bo, Geoiota Hoar, Thu-"t . " ~- 2. ~4- : " t - moredoyou wamwam? 8W? the Troo's smash hit (rarito A/ao'o'm. sow is ‘Iv "who: I It's the HUT; productm‘ from >'..' is -~ ' "' Dm'dsynge tllSiil)itL-(l 'T‘thS't‘dl‘ii ario penwiaa. A". ', 'Vi ' ‘ '. the sriov.’ wvtr‘ groom ax [gisfffl‘vezr aW :" ,2, ' i ' Mason. sa'nmet: Lil) UK: a.“ ‘."‘<f--.'.c: ‘ "W , - of the (Hay. 'Basca“. the arms. :' lost (‘7‘.13F‘fi'illit;:i'TQliKES ’;(;7".':'Y‘t‘3iift"'l* , ' 'E-; to sin "!8 mists wt“ a" <>~:‘:<:t' c 'iiz'.,' '~ "etgiatis doctor, srg'i‘t; f'ax. ‘;t1:;.-.»;;'s:. _: : Dougai! pwnnses the shoc. w: a «at ' 1-' : . and despair. 'At the centre,- it's tragytfl (VI: "E3 tune' And as for sticking to .ssaéjs ::t' (19" ’ " ‘r- . ' ' more concerned mt”. 'i‘a‘nuwa i‘gio aaia t .. .1. '_' ;' ' the first (ilSéliNIII‘, shows that ,s ar::;.a ' 1." . ° , Chishoim anti Gare; Rot‘sov‘. H5342 .' r; x." : . ' '
94 THE LIST 17 81 Ma' 3‘05
Review
A HA‘NDFU'L or DUST Citizens' Theatre. Glasgow. until Sat 2 Apr .0.
Evelyn Waugh‘s witty and woeful tale of love, adultery, divorce and their significance in a society whose main interest lies in gossip and scandal is adapted by Mike Alfreds into a slick, cleverly styled and coherent drama at the Citz. Brenda Last (Lorna McDevitt). wife of ailing aristocrat Tony (Greg Powrie), is drawn into an affair with young socialite John Beaver (Andrew Clark), an act which threatens not only her marriage but, Waugh suggests. erodes the moral fabric of ‘civilised‘ society a little, too.
The first half of the production offers a well executed feel of modernity to a story which is clearly dated, Kenny Miller’s as-ever impressive design evoking the flirty 305 of life in contrasting ultra-chic neon and retrograde monochrome. The disintegration of the central relationship is well charted by the six member ensemble, each playing a multiple of roles to strong, if occasionally too ‘drama schooly’. effect. The second half captures perfectly the sublime ridiculousness of middle-class coping mechanisms in the wake of tragedy, but loses pace 3 little as the full consequences of Last’s quest for marital dissolution get into ‘unexplored territory‘ territory.
Slick, confident, funny and sincere, the show is Iucidly directed overall, but what mostly lets down Jeremy Raison's production is its sheer raison d‘étre. For a modern audience familiar with the concept of drive-thru marriages, where the social impact of divorce is felt differently, Waugh‘s message is wasted, even if it is actually right. More pertinent are Waugh's musings on the class and economic strictures upon which relationships are founded, a theme explored more successfully in George Orwell's better-known Keep the Aspidistra Flying. In all, a production high on values and entertainment, but sadly light in the way of serious emotional impact. (Gareth Davies)