7‘s
NE W war I (No GORGEOUS AVATAR
Edinburgh, Traverse Theatre, run ended 00
In times of immense social strife, amidst war and international crisis, the Traverse seems sometimes to simply wish to remind us that no problem is too small for the person who has it. For there isn’t, in a large sense of things, much at stake in Jules Home‘s Traverse debut, a farcical romantic comedy directed by Philip Howard.
Amy (Pauline Knowles) has spent some time over an internet romance, corresponding with a mysterious American (John Kazek), in between putting off more urgent matters at her work-from-home copywriting business. The unexpected announcement that he’s on the way from Edinburgh Airport to her rural home puts her into something of a tizzy. Her panic is fuelled by two interfering neighbours: a lad from Northern England with a crush on our protagonist (Patrick Hoffman) and local busybody Rose (Una McLean) whose speculations add to Amy’s tensions.
Mark Leese's design features a window/computer screen, which reflects much of the psychological processes of the characters in a country cottage surround. Whether this multimedia device doesn’t simply distract from the action is a moot point. So too, Howard’s direction, which doesn’t show his usual sense of pacing, rushing the farcical action on as if to get things finished rather than increase the humour, while the characters' sudden bursts into song are perhaps inadvertently cringe-making.
Perhaps at the heart of the problem is Horne’s script. There can be no question of this writer’s talent, as much of the dialogue carries genuine wit and human insight, but the structure of the play needs far more attention. For all this, the actors work tirelessly, and might, in football parlance, be said to have been beaten but not disgraced by the play. Kazek manages some splendid mugging and camping as the recurrent figure of Amy's fantasy, portraying cowboy, GI and gangster before the national stereotypes are dissolved and a self effacing schoolteacher emerges. So too, McLean demonstrates once again what an asset she has been to the Trav over the last few years. Indeed the whole cast works hard to redeem things, but are overcome by a production which simply didn’t look quite ready to appear. (Steve Cramer)
NE ‘i‘. .'.ci~‘l\
GHOST
Lamb's House. Leith, Edinburgh, Fri 2-Sat 10 Jun, tickets available at the Traverse Theatre box office or venue on day.
Site specific theatre has. over the last decade. become guite close to the predominant form in which to present nev. work. Perhaps in taking theatre out of its conventional building and writing for another space we change the nature of the form itself. And WUlk made for a particular space can maxrmise the atmosphere of the place beyond what can he done With a (I()ll‘.’(?llll()ll£ll fourth wall. A tirriely example of this sense of mixture of space. light and design rnrght he found in this piece, a combination of installation and perforriiance which looks set to create an eerily engaging piece of theatre.
the Puppet lab. a company made up of a mix of puppeteers. actors and vrsual artists have corribined to present this Judith Adams script. a theatrical event. which uses as its starting point the myth of Daedalus. In rt. you can Journey through the by- ways. buildings and back alleys of Leith. confronting strange echoes of past lives in the town as you go. There looks like something of a thriller eleriient to it all. as well as some spectacular Visuals combining to (Zr(}£tl(} eiri (9rig;2ig;irig; tlES(} ()f lll(3 waterfront's summer atmosphere. Recommended. (Steve Cramer)
ADAP iArioN NO MEAN CITY
Citizens‘ Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 3 Jun 000
Long before Madonna's hubby made that cinematic classic A Bunch of Fake Cock/revs Ro/l Out the Barrel (or whatever it's called). Alexander McArthur and H. Kingsley Long wrote the quintessential story of gangland
NEW WORK RED
Theatre
\IUIU'X‘O. \X‘ Ut‘ti" C.) SUI it? Glasgow betwetv‘r the wars. it follows the street fighting career at 'Haxo' King" Johnnie Stark
In Alex Norton's stage aaaptatien. one gets a sense of how the urt‘an rmth o‘ the tiller thug timeleps Johnnie's burgeoning ego and the sycophancy and tear of these arouer him are a potent ceiribrnation lhe pla\ sets the razor gangs Ill the context of the appalling housing and lack of prospects endured. then as now. is man‘, ‘.‘.()ll\lllt) class communities in (Elasgov. .lahnnie (played \‘.llll trer'ieridous swagger and nuance b\ the excellent Andy (Tlarki warns his lav. abiding, ‘.‘.l‘.llt‘ collar brother. Peter. that advancement for Working class ho,s comes down To a competition hetWeen "you and the ht ss's nephew" It is a clear eyed observation of the dead end. a ra.'or fighter 's riianifesto.
Jeremy Raison's production (:ll]()yi; a really fine cast. but is harripered by difficulties in both the script and his own directing. As wrth so many theatre adaptations of novels, the piece has a stilted. episodic structure. and ultimately. at almost two and a half hours, it feels about It?) riiiriutes too long. Raison's ironic doubling of actors. at some points playing comrastrng characters in consecutwe scenes. is cute but often confusing. A reasonable presentation, then, but certainly not cutting—edge drama And if you don't agree. sguare go on Glasgow Green, ya bas! (Ben Walters)
Citizens‘ Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 31 May-Sat 3 Jun
A car park rnrght not be your immediate idea of a location for an exploration of all the primality of love. though no doubt it has been used to that purpose now and again. even wrth an audience present. No. you aren't about to be inVited to a dogging session. theatrical as such an event is. Instead. the more enlightening experience of Red. a new play by first time writer Chris Fittock Will be travelling up from LLT. Liverpool's new writing theatre. and making it as far as the CW car park, befOre it begins a fascmating Journey into the world of love and sexuality.
Graeme Maley. one of Scotland's brightest y0ung directorial talents of recent years. who has made his home wrth the Scouse company. Will be provrding us wrth a red—blooded reworking of the eternal triangle. 'lt's the story of a young man and an older woman. who live together in a farming community — another yOunger woman arrives on the scene. The great thing about the script is it’s very spare and earthy. wrth a real feel of poetry about it. It reminds me of David Harrower. and in a different way. Sam Sheppard, he says. But there are also some political undertones to the text. ‘The love story is the main focus. but there's also a war going on. and the man has been to it - that feeds into the stOry'. Maley adds. It sounds like it is well worth Visiting. (Steve Cramer)
25 May—8 June 2006 THE LIST 83