Theatre
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THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
* East Coast Chicken Supper The Traverse launches the Fringe with Martin J Taylor’s play about three rural drug dealers in Fife and their conflicts with the village hard man. Black comedy full of ripe expletlves directed by Richard Wilson, a stalwart of British theatre, better known for his Victor Meldrew on television. Traverse, Edinburgh, 3—28 Aug.
* Dirty Works Jamie Undley’s play has been a hit in New York. although it’s set on a council estate outside London. Its UK debut occurs this Fringe, and this dark lumpenproletarian drama with drug addiction and violence should be riveting viewing. Underbelly, Edinburgh, 4-28 Aug. #1119 Found Man Riccardo Galgani’s new play. set in an east coast village in 1859, looks at fear and transition in a society which, in some respects, parallels our own. Potentially, this is a quietly haunting drama. with a cast that includes some of the best names in Scottish acting. Traverse, Edinburgh, 31 Jul-28 Aug.
#The Girls of the 3.5 floppies Former Traverse name John Tiffany, now with the National Theatre of Scotland, directs this bleak but affirming comedy from Mexico. Two down at heel single mothers, who aren’t averse to turning the odd trick for the tourists, visit Tijuana for a weekend of drugs and extra cash, and all kinds of goings on follow. Traverse, Edinburgh, 3—28 Aug.
*The Singing Nun Richard Talbot’s self-penned performance has vast high camp potential. A man with an obsession with the eponymous suicidal singing sister relives his memories and imaginings of the Iady.Underbe/Iy, Edinburgh, 4—28 Aug.
84 THE LIST 21 Jul 4 Aug 2005)
‘IT EXHIBITS A DARK AND
TROUBLING HUMOUR AT ODDS WITH THE SELF-IMAGE OF BERGEN '
Northern lights
The Department
Aurora Nova’s visual theatre programme has a reputation for startling new work. Ben Walters flew to Norway for a highlight of this year’s Fringe.
oasling such namcs as lidyard (iricg and llcnrik lbscn. and. tnorc rcccntly. Jan (iarbarck and Royksopp. Norway is justly prottd ol' its contribution to world culturc. It was only a mattcr ol' timc. thcrcl‘orc. bcl‘orc a Norwcgian company ctncrgcd in thc programmc of thc critically acclaitncd lidinburgh l"ringc cycnt Aurora Nova. ln thc past thcrc has bccn a distinctly cast liuropcan
lilayour to thc Aurora Nova programmc. This ycar. for
thc lirsl timc. it is ycry tnttch dominatcd by countrics that sit to thc wcst ol‘ thc old iron curtain.
A significant part of that contribution comcs l‘rom thc lo Stromgrcn Kompani. Bascd in Norway‘s sccond city. Bcrgcn. thcy arc bringing two productions to lidinburgh: thc cstablishcd hit show 'I'lu' Urpartmvat. and thcir latcst cxpcrimcntal thcatrc The Hospital. Arriying at thc lil'l‘ 'l’catcrgarasjcn in Bcrgcn to scc thc lattcr production. it is impossiblc to hayc anything by way ol solid cspcctations. An all-lcmalc show. sct in a dcgcncraling hospital which has no paticnts. it is. primarily. a physical piccc which substitutcs a gibbcrish ycrsion ol lcclandic lor rcal languagc.
ln pct'l'ortttattcc. it cxhibits a dark and troubling humour which is at odds with thc cotnl’ortablc and w calthy sclli—imagc ol‘ Bcrgcn. l‘or artistic dircctor and chorcographcr Jo Stromgrcn. thc dirt and cmotional discoml‘ort ol’ 'I'la' Hospital is. in part. a rcaction to liying in a country of oil wcaltli and social stability. 'I think it has somcthing to do with Norway bcing such a clcan. nicc country. whcrc cycrything is ()K.‘ lic says. with a charactcristic laugh. lndccd. tlicrc is a inischicyous aspch to thc dircctor‘s humour which suggcsts that hc is out to rulllc l'cathcrs. .'\s in HM I)('/)(ll'llil(’lll. an all-tnalc show sct
piccc of
in a crazy. rcgimcntcd ol'l'icc cnyironmcnt. The Hospital is pcrl‘ormcd in a nonscnsc languagc.
llowcycr. giycn that thc gibbcrish of thc lattcr show is dcriycd l'rom lcclandic. l wondcr il‘ Stromgrcn worricd that thcrc was a dangcr ol playing too tnttch to Norwcgian pcrccptions ol‘ thcir Scandinayian cousins. ‘Wc took a bit til at chancc with this production in thc scnsc that it could bc a bit intcrnal. a sort ol' .\'orsc humour.’ hc says. llowcycr. hc says. on its rcccnt tottr ol ccntral and castcrn liuropc. thc company found that audicnccs wcrc happy to rclatc to thc physicality ol‘ thc piccc. as intcndcd.
'l‘hat physicality linds an cspccially sinistcr l‘orm ol comcdy in thc ritualiscd scxual humiliation which takcs placc in HM llos/iital. 'l'hc disquicting scxuality of thc piccc is not. tlic dircctor insists. a commcnt on lcsbianistn. bttt. rathcr. on distortcd institutional powcr rclations. In any casc. hc says with a laugh: "l‘hcrc was not so much of an intcllcctual basis l'or thc wholc scx thing. it was just what thcy Ihc points at thc thrcc pcrl'ormcrsl wcrc talking about all tlic timc.’ lnycntiyc and original. 'l’lu' Dcpartmcnt and lllt’ Hospital arc bound to intrigttc liringc audicnccs. In fact. this ycar’s Aurora Noya programmc as a wholc is an intriguing onc.
Matilda I.cyscr. w hosc piccc is playcd ottt on a suspcndcd ropc. is onc ol‘ no l'cwcr than liyc British acts on show. 'l‘hc Austrian piccc 'l'ro/u'a: ('ota‘lt l’otatot's' Paradise is onc l‘or loycrs ol' satirc. whilc thc cycr—popular l)o-'l‘hcatrc ol‘ Russia promisc an cntrancing and clcgiac contctnplation ol' drcam worlds in Slay/i. . . Lass . . . Miss".
St Stephen’s (Venue 8), 5-29 Aug. www.auroranova.org