Theatre
Cracker back
After a long absence, ROBBIE COLTRANE returns to Scottish
stages in a new play, The Brother’s Suit
he big fellow sits in an expansive pose. relaxed. but a little tired. ()ne arm‘s draped o\ er the empty chair beside him as he leans away from the table between us with legs crossed. the other forming a bridge between his shoulder and the table. :\s I sit in a chair opposite him. warmed by the backside of the previous critic to interview him in (ilasgow‘s BBC Club. I feel at the end of a production line. and wonder. at his sixth interview in rapid succession. w hether he felt about the same. .\'o introduction is needed to the actor who has become so familiar from Tutti l-‘rutli. Cracker. James
Rum! and Harry Potter films. but his reason for
returning to a Scottish stage for the first time since the Slls is intriguing. I assume he doesn‘t need the money. so it must be the art. And it is. The folks from ()ran .\lor. now in its second season of bur/y and creative lunchtime theatre under the title A Play. a Pie and a l’int deserve some credit for this coup. but so. particularly. does Peter McDougall.
.\lcl)ougall. better known as the author of such seminal dramas as Just Another .S‘uturduy. Just a Boy's (fume and Down Where the [firiiiilov (in. has been associated with television. rather than theatre over the years. The string of violent and gritnly naturalistic dramas throughout the 7()s and Slls with which he made a name. frequently representing the seetarianism that benighted his native Greenock in stark and harrowing terms. are what you‘ll best know him for. But Coltrane. a close friend of 30 years standing. was enthusiastic enough about this one act
92 THE LIST ‘~1--.‘5 At"
‘IF YOU GET A COMMA IN THE WRONG PLACE, YOU'RE FUCKED BASICALLY'
. Steve Cramer asks him why.
play. the second in a trilogy. to accept the role of one of two brothers. reuniting with his sibling in (ircenock on the occasion of their father‘s death. long after seeking his fortune in London.
‘ll‘s not in the mould of his TV work. It‘s not naturalistic: it‘s very dense and rich and poetic.‘ (‘oltrane explains. ‘lt's written in the kind of way where you can only do it right or wrong. If you get a comma in the wrong place. you‘re fucked basically. So it‘s perfectly toned. I asked him today how long he took to write it. and he said: “Oh. about three days. And 35 years.” So. very different from McDougall‘s earlier work‘.’ ' ’es. This is a revelation to people. not to me though. I‘ve known him for 30 years.‘
Something much more subtextual. a deep mythic dynamic. attracted Coltrane. I suggest. 'Mth is the right word. There are expectations and fantasies imposed on this man‘s life by the brother who stays at home in relation to how his life has been lived. It‘s about people‘s dreams and the promise of their youth. what we learn and how much that teaches Us. if it teaches us at all. It‘s about the coming of middle age.‘
At this point he looks wistfully out of the window. as if this was precisely what he‘s feeling now. so I ask him about the difference between film and theatre work. it being a long time since he trod Scottish boards. ‘Oh. it‘s like riding a bike. you don‘t forget. Well. hopefully — we‘ll find out.‘
The Brother’s Suit, Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Sat 16 Apr.
Hit
THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
>l<
* Sleeping Beauty on Ice Yes, it’s a bit of a tacky idea. but first class entertainment all the same. Costume, spectacle and. er. skates make for a great family night out — you'll already know the story. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 7 9—Sat 23 Apr.
* My Brother’s Sult Robbie Coltrane returns to Scottish stages for Peter McDougall’s Greenock-set play about dreams, mid—life crisis and family. An afternoon of lunchtime theatre with a difference, and star quality. Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Sat 16 Apr.
* Highland Fllng Matthew Bourne returns, still triumphant as the enfant terrible of classically—edged modern dance. This revisiting of La Sylphide sees contemporary music and visions, as well as kilts. added to spice up our perception of the classics. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 26—Sat 30 Apr, then touring.
* Laurel and Hardy There's humour, nostalgia and real food for thought involved in this revival of Tom McGrath’s minor classic at the Lyceum. Tony Cownie directs, and there's a great deal of promise in the cast of two playing many characters, beyond the eponymous comic duo. Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, Fri 23 Apr—Sat 14 May.
* Derevo Fringegoers need no introduction to this great St Petersburg physical theatre company. Their new piece reflects an exploration of myth that has much to say to us in contemporary society. Arches, Glasgow, Sat 16—Sun 1 7 Apr.