Theatre
HOME GLASGOW 25 Soutra Place, Glasgow .00
The soldiers involved in the siege of Stalingrad weren‘t quite as parky as yours truly on this open air night before a tower block in the Easterhouse area. It was truly the night of the brass bollocks, in fact, for John Tiffany showed a bit of this metaphorical quality in his adventurous and breathtakingly ambitious production of a kind of urban thriller with a
contemporary and relevant edge.
In it, a young man with a London career in computers (Billy Boyd) returns to his home on the scheme to rescue his kid brother (Neil Campbell) from a bunch of Ml5 ruffians, who perceive a conspiracy involving emails and depleted uranium. He’s left an embittered girlfriend (Louise Ludgate) and a neglected mother (Blythe Duff) behind, but they, as well as other family and friends, must unite to defeat the black-clad agents of an intrusive British state, who abseil down the tower block, peering in at windows in a manner
that would get you or me arrested.
There are a myriad of contemporary political themes under the action, which is projected by video link onto a truck parked at the door of the tower block. Aside from the contemporary obsession with state surveillance, the gulf war and environmentalism loom large. Whether a little too much was levered into the half hour the story had to take before the audience died of exposure is a moot point, and there were one or two clunky moments of dialogue in the slightly televisual script. But if there's an element of that paradoxical phrase, ‘Glasgow Soap‘ here, there was a tremendous spectacle to be observed and some very accessible entertainment, with the architecture becoming perhaps the star of the show. The other stars were the local youth theatre kids, who provide our intelligence services with the comeuppance they deserve at the finale. It would be well worth attempting a longer version of this, but not in February,
please. (Steve Cramer)
Reviews
HOME ABERDEEN 48 Logie Place, Aberdeen 00.
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It's a short bus ride, from King Street. rr‘ the \‘er‘nt'e Cl Aberdeen. to an abandoned tenement block in the
t‘.‘.\ "s Mrdd'erre'd drstrrct. It's ex en :2'\"ter rt \ou're berng amen a gurded tt‘ur b\ Karen Rarrtsa‘.. who does a tree line rn gags last tela rrt the \laxs or
84 THE LIST .‘ "i Max (‘1‘
rnusrt‘ ball, The ltortltorrrrr} contrasts; starklf, mth the orrmness ot Louie Platte. the poor corrdrtron ot t.'."‘rr;lt cries out on behalf at the thousands rn Scotland who lsxe rrr sub-standard boomer;
Contrasts are the dunno torce r" drrer‘tor Alison Peebies' pail-action Cunthrnr'rg; pretesslonai and Tonia: ticrnrrru'rrtfi. :rertorrners. the presentatrcn s. ar‘al‘e
:rii?‘,t°t£ll)‘{.. ‘. dualrt't Hot-rem”. There s er‘ouuh bx way of set design to owe the '.'.'::rk a strong and coherent atr‘r rsrrl‘e'e
ll Ha"‘e are/tree" ‘s a c<1ri<-r:t'<:r‘ I“ set brer‘es. Peebies has Llano ‘.-.e«l' it: sate the hest urrtrl last. Mahat-
Is superb rn uelrwrrng Ute 'rr’t/‘tjlogue
lVflrrlr't).
cf a cod ‘Trsherr‘tar‘ who rs iosvngr not only hrs lrx'ellhoed. but also hrs roe'tt, as the frsh stocks :i'mra‘e and hzs Shrr: rs tarcegi back ‘12) a r‘arhou' he nexer call home. Ben Waltersr
National Theatre of Scotland: Home
HOME CAITHNESS Caithness Glass Factory. Wick
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53“" "‘1r<l".r£l‘r“i"rl” are horr‘e where ellerl, ornatei: wade personal a’1arr‘st ler'renfut and the 'rursnrd L'a‘t a" elf) ladr. tries to find her wax hr rrr‘e l‘rvrrre t-ernu actuahere but her ‘er'rlr. tr'ed room f§r.>rrtetrrrrr:s 'horne' rm al «lent the care : ssrstant who tertrlerl‘, helps Sarah sweep away the rmadrrran tlrrod rr‘. her room. For [Elsie erra McFarl‘,errr. though, ‘home' rs l rank. her deceased husband. waiting on the othe side. Elsre's ‘escape' s; mmh mash of classic film scenarios from her TVdomrnated lrte.
Home (Truth/rem has some truly gob- smackrnu moments. Who could target T Isre's uauxe rrrasked room brllowurr; out in slow motron to a boomrnd Sergio l eone soundtrack. as she z'aps ("h.‘.’ltr)\'£3 ol the mrnd With her remote control. But Outside the brrllrant realisation. well acted by locals and prctesmronals, Home Garth/reef; rs a touch sentrr'rental. with uncomfortably lrttle to do wrth Wick. Vrsuallx and rrnagrrratrxelt. hot-Jet'er. this rs the krnd of production well hope to see a lot more of from the National Theatre. rSar'ah ,Jonesr
HOME DUMFRIES Loreburn Hall, Dumfries 0000
Sornetrmes a shox'r bedex'rlled by technical problems; can be like a football team with a man sent otl. It acts to lrtt the game or (anemone present. 'ather than detracting from the bertorrrrance. Thrs rs the rrrtpresSIon that one got from Graharrr Eatough‘s oroductrorr wh'ch. cursed the trrst night grerrrlrrr of urrcoooe'atr‘Je adeo effects. produced such char'n that one was happy to do without it.
l't 't_ “tea the 'eco lectrcns of old ‘wk of the regron. fherr reflectrcns on ‘a"‘ 7y. rttarrrage and the great events o‘ the day. oreser‘tv‘g a hrdden hrstcc, :t‘ a (to te Ewing. breathrrxg tar'et',’ that ho bumptrcus hrstorrcal telex'rsrort documentary cowd produce. All thrs rs weaned among chhard Strauss' ‘F0ur Last Songs. reflecting lite and rts
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idea H‘Ie". ews; wrf‘t the {‘er‘sm'm'; ft’.+’""3(\ert§e:l wt" The arter‘ The (lfifl‘l‘S tlr'r“ f§("r"‘tfn’2, (“Ht I'tfl‘lfl “19-,” ruler; are the rea‘ at tr: \".e ’tear Ru?" 'e-_ \ er‘twr‘g as: ‘tt‘d'xtod rne'rra'res “t the Genera gtrke. ‘15? well as; leept, rr‘ “.rrrr}. l‘er‘ause so understated. aw ‘ ‘u'rfu “ “u ‘h ‘arhrlx exer‘ts 1‘; ma". me; 1 v the smtarran dmrde and rlgtilrzl‘tnru t to surcrde There are ton‘rr‘ 'tuhlrrr'tfu as well partrr‘ularl‘, t"e ar‘r vrr‘t a medttlesrrrrre mother rr‘ :.r.-, {tr-121' ( ° Out of the house b. 1‘, and :1“ tr“- Tlt'r tlldll 'I all there"; a real :zerrsw ’ human contact wrth ‘rlk who theme flaw: lrrrd simple (‘rlrnt‘zrrrefi vn h, t,
Ho lttrrrter llrerr r," ttur: pr ;.,r lw :rrfztrtutrons Thru
beautiful event. so sweetl‘, pertorrrrerl
was a truretl'.
that I hope someone klr‘kerl the ‘.’Ir too on the way out. so thm, rlrd rt thr‘; r. ever, nroht. rStew (Zramerr
HOME DUNDEE
McManus Galleries, Dundee .0
Theatre thrives; on absorbing other ar’tlorms. but there"; a danger in random (tollrsrons, however well matched they ma‘, appear Home Dundee rs such a collision, and the results are messy. lt‘; director r'; Kenn, lvlrller, former head of design at the Crtr/ens' Theatre. Glasdo‘wr llrf; interpretation of the ‘home' brret centres on the dance balls of the 1940?; and t'>()s.
The central element rs a series of rntervrewf; ‘Nllll pensioners, filmed l:, Dav“, McKay rn Tat/side care lrorrre‘; Therr reminiscences about love. “nut, marriage. work, war. alcohol and the dancrnr; are frank, lrrtrrty_ enlrdhtenrnd, disturbing and proloundh poignant Am a stand-alone l‘?lf:‘.'lf;|()ll documentar, tbrs would make fascinating vrewrnr; But to 'end the prorer t theatrrcalrt .. Miller has added trarrrrnr; devices. He has converted the venue rrrto a inter h parody of a 1950‘; dancehall. complete with sequins. neon, saucy waitresses and transvestite Ulllllitl". There are also sketches on related themes. Some of these are pertorrrred by local comrrrunrty actors (at floor level, poorly lrt and barely vrfsrbler.
The stage. meanwhile. rs occupied by three protwssronals. Two actresses pointlesst pose lr'xe questions to the drgrtallyrecorded rntehxrewees on screen. while Andrew Clark plays a supemnnuated stand-up comrc, .‘rhose ottcolour routines veer ever