Theatre
PLHl CRMANCE. l E-(liilitr- EBAY POWERSELLER Tramway, Glasgow, Thu 19-Fri 20 May
Stage Whispers v gird: his mm, ' ”' his courage and grits 7 ls't'oothtor the annual Critics for Theatre in Scotland,
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, eBay But is the site's staggering popularity Such a good thing? Ali‘ClICZJ'i not,t°._r°fl°°t "Po" “‘9 performer AC Dickson certa'nly thinks so. 39330" “9"” 39°" 0" 'I talk about eBay representing a form of dew 53".!“ , t7.‘i;\'t.‘:"..l‘.l ~.~.l;»:,-'-.,l “.3993 this Y9”- n in~:ll'.'i:li rats an' oon‘panies are able to deal directly With eaf‘h other mil. 7' .t haunt“ mm critics n‘iddle then and corporate mark-ups} says Dickson, During the sl‘o I (i’..'.l.';:"2 '“nch‘aomomw at argue that eBay selling is a step tan-:a'ds wcrl'l pca'e' mmM)u‘at 9V9" “‘9 Theatrically, the form Dlitkson chooses to convey su<l1 i‘l"';‘f"»él‘/l'.3.3 r, of a; an i: for“ awards “in Interest as the content itself. A multimedia i><>"to.'ii‘-a:i':e lecture is not s: null 'th yet it 36" seems ' we encounter on our regular 2 ieits to the theatre. ‘l lor‘lestlg. l'n‘. still untest’ng .‘xith ii M mating 0“ me what to Call the show.’ says Dickson. 'I tilll‘k the best description of it is a .. “five scent and seminar. It's art. but it's also a illitifitlt! seminar? ‘ consequent Chat '“ “’er So should we bring notepad and paper? ‘I'm not {(Ld't‘, interested in to: l-“J on trains! and on “dame people how to sell things on eBay.' says Dicksrri. 'I'm interested in tr". lT‘J t') g-,-t .-'-°°°a3]onai in “wanes that intelligent people who are sceptical about eBay t7: see it in an entrel; tier. llglit mm' and to get l'railCll’dH‘, excited about trying it' on't knsx'. about you. but I'm up [rustmson’s hi9 mnm’i" for gixing it a shot. (Meg V-Jatsonl . of a single company, was ' Rep, with Scenes From An Execution scooping a haflul MUSICAt l lLTMAGE "i’of awards!” M. This year, ONCE UPON A TIME IN the talk from both critics and 3.6"?“ G' T WWOGN has been 1;:222521 Meaatre, asgow, ue more diffuse, but it seems to y Whispersfliatthe company Grey mining “RIMES and moat mam has sum” Yorksl‘i'e puds asl'le. the north of be” Edmbumh’s Roy“. England has produce: SCIITO p'ett‘. L’”“"“ W we" omnding good things. Besides the ob‘. lens — work 38‘ madman Sings to Warburtons. Tetley arrl iahenil 3. CLHL; the M00"! Othe’k’iA’ma truly — the ntusic scene ain't half hail . Kennina and Lemma,” "8"” either. Hence this show. the brarn:hld 8" appearing in a sing“ of writer Mick Martin and Chester Paul mm"! “'3 hard to [magma Sadot. a nostalgic celebration of that mark Thomson’s Northern Setil at the Wigan Casino. mougmu' and high” 'It shaped my whole “10' says “min'flg Program "0"" d0 Sadot. ‘When I was young. the peak M "om “'9 9"“ of what was offered was an Bun,” om" companhs' toot apprenticeship. University wasn't even have a" mum 3mm" an option. I was very depressed, Then WW “nomimons' The I went to Wigan Casino and. t know it “we a" 0" Ru" “33°” at the sounds like a cliche but there was cm produced “m9 suddenly a world beyond my small . Mug nights of them town. A DJ called Pete Hodge once ’mm “'9 “‘0” 9“” wormed said that Northern SOul attracted . , V “mummy in Mme by a working class serum from the north -3ma" “fidaflom and flm’ and black working class seun‘. froz‘.‘ T ' .... “m dimm- bum” Rap! Amenca.‘ Originally a se'ies of ourmg V too! “'9 hm a fair “5"” '0 monologues. the play has developed Good art liberates a truth that we know of, but can‘t quite articulate. ’W awards m inspmng into a full blown touring production There’s an authenticity to it that we recognise, and only realise the truth of work ’00" as n" W3" and based on the experiences of four as we see it. At times it tells us something quite banal, but in a manner that Macbeth The a” too many characters: the highs. the lows. the forces reconsideration, by the very metaphors it uses, of the world we take om companies to mention, drugs and the "00dan loos at the as ordinary. And the metaphors should be local, if this experience happens hm sure": as a “"3' thought: legendary Wigan nightclub where in the theatre. So it is with Douglas Maxwell, whose work is so “'9 “gnawing The wonderfu’ Northern Soul really took off. quintessentially Scottish, yet true in a manner that should exhaust many '7 morplwa' Amhmw Although ins'sting ‘ncn soulles‘ \-.:l| contexts beyond our borders. Never mind that John LeVert’s novel, The ‘ "flung sum production Of enjoy the show. Sadot is indifferent to Flight of the Cassowary, from which this is adapted, speaks of an , m ow" "Wt wm have cm“ the play's media merit. 'We don't care Australian bird and an American experience, this play could speak to us W about“ m- if the critics like it or not.’ he says. anywhere. m Wm. “'3 a" yet to be 'Most can't get their heads round it.‘ In Matthew Lenton’s production for Vanishing Point, we see this truth, in gm “Wm” M" Better start brushing up on those old this case expressing the anxieties of adolescence, particularly male _'k°°py°“ W' 453 then. (Meg Watson) adolescence, shown in a very human, but at times both comical and
alarming manner. We meet a young man (Paul J Corrigan) beset by a characteristic array of anxieties, ranging from sub-Oedipal rivalries with his dad, to ostensibly cool, but actually rather important relationships with his football team and on to an inevitable confusion about the girl he desires. His means of dealing with it all is an increasing retreat into an asocial and deeply subjectivised world, where he becomes an animal, or more accurately several, depending on the occasion, when under stress.
This amazingly engaging production by Lenton in front of Kai Fischer’s simple but effective nature versus nurture set unites the humorous candour of Maxwell’s dense wordplay, which cites as many animals as feasibly imaginable, with three tremendous performances. Sandy Grierson and Claire Lamont add splendidly to Corrigan‘s lead with performances so sensitive to the nuances of the piece’s humour that one finds oneself leaning forward inadvertently in one’s seat to watch them. Grierson's curmudgeonty dad, and talking dog next door are a particular treat. If the piece slightly outstays its welcome in its last, at times frightening, quarter hour, it’s still a must-see for all that. (Steve Cramer)