Theatre
Stage Whispers I‘l'here'asomuchhappenlngln
find space for amid our rush of reviews.
The Tron are putting up their first big production of the "‘ Autumn with The Tempest, their first Shakespeare in a good while. directed by Paddy Ounneen, who we’d normally associate with musical (Erection. a job he's distinguished himself in throughout the UK. So music, which, in any case plays a prominent role in the play, might be a stand out here. So, too, might the cast, which includes the likes of Alison Peebles, Paul Thomas Hickey and Paul Blair. Precisely what approach Gunneen will take to the play, which sees the exiled Prospero reunited with his court after a long exile on an island of magic and phantasmagorical creamres remains to be seen. but the particular spell that Shakespeare’s ‘retirement’ play casts on its audience will no doubt return again. You can see it from 12-28 October at the “non.
I Meanwhile. at Theatre Workshop, a more tangibly political piece is in the offing with One Hour Before Sunn‘se, a play by Ghazi Hussein about a Palestinian poet who’s arrested and tortured in a Middle Eastern jail. This promises to be strong meat for any audience, but seems to have something to say that we might all need to hear. It runs from the 4th until the 14th of August at Theatre Workshop, Edinburgh, then tours to Gilmorehill in Glasgow. I A little further ahead, Michael Emans’ Rapture continues to bring Scottish premieres to our stages, this time with Frozen, Bryoney Laverey’s tale of a mother whose child disappears, .andwho’sleftlnastateot denial until, years later, she confronts the man that abducted her daughter. it looks like strong stuff, with an equally . strong cast, which begins its run ‘ at the East Klibride Arts Centre on 19 and 20 October.
Frozen
80 THE LIST 5— 18 Oct 2006
hi 3.219%.
YELLOW MOON
Citizens” Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 14 Oct 0...
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l erla Nétlllll (Lnettyr and Stag Lee lvlarxannden :Andrer.’ Scott—Ramsay) Eearfs to a murder and sees the pan on the run. hearlrng for the Highlands and a :gt of discoren.
(Lernrnrssloned by TAG for a teen audrence and destrned for a school tour. the play tackles rssues the\, face growrng up rn today's socrety. Obsessions ‘.‘.’|lil celebrity ideals and the effect they have on teen body rrnage are highlighted and (itiOSllOiltXl when Lerla comes face to face With her Idol, only to drscover they are both fraught With srmrrar rnsecurrtres. Constantly confronted With the hyper real on the pages of the magazrnes she loves. Lerla self harms to somehow fund the herghtened realrty she craves. Thrs blurring of reality allows many of the characters to reinvent themselves. hiding behrnd a projected rmage of the person they want to he. rt also allows others to shape them. labelling them wrth nrcknames that define only therr exterronty. Director Guy Hollands explores strong themes wrth rnterestrng technrgues and there are sound performances from Kerth MacPherson and Beth Marshall. partrcularly rn the roles of narrators. Gritty realrty but not as you know rt. (Nicola Husbandl
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NEW WORK THE HERETIC’S TALE
Gilmourhill, Glasgow, 8 Oct, then touring
Extreme intoxication. wrld sexual orgres. rncest. cannrbalrsm — I know. you're thrnkrng of those students who took over the flat next door a couple of weeks back. But these krnds of actrvrtres. or at least. accusatrons of them. hat. e been derng the rounds for centurres. Way back rn the 18th century they were levelled at a TellglOUS cult from Ayrshrre led by one Elspeth Buchan. called. rn that irteral mrnded 18th century way. The Buchanrtes. Thrs particular sect seemed to show a particular genius for alienating the church authorities. and the BO-strOng group Suffered the consecuences. Groups who predrct. as thrs one drd. the rmmlnent Armageddon are lrable to DISS anyone off. I suppose — no dOubt a rnrnutes wrth the American 'left behlnd' grOup of today would provoke the response ‘Armageddon outta here' rn any sane pers0n.
All the same there was a far but of suffering In store for Elspeth's cult. as documented rn thrs new piece by Highland theatre company Dogstar. Matthew Zalac's outfit. drrected rn thrs outing by Stephen Docherty. Dflflg Hamish MacDonald's hrstOry play to life ‘.‘J|Th Irye musrc from the irkes of Annre Grace. one of Scotland's leading actor rnuSrCrans. Promrsmg a fascmatrng rnsrght rnto history and the cult mentality. thlS looks a good night out. (Steve Cramen
Review
ADAPT/Kl
TUTTI FRUTTI
King‘s Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 7 Oct. Seen at His Majesty‘s Theatre, Aberdeen 00..
We travel through life inscribed indelibly with the past. All current experience is informed by regret, guilt, nostalgia and joytul recollection, each crowding our minds in our idle moments and subconsciously influencing our actions when we’re active. This seminal truth of personal and collective history lies at the heart of John Byrne’s adaptation of over six hours of television to two and a bit of theatre for the NTS, which amounts to a funny and at times powerfully moving night of theatre, in which every character suffers from some form of self deception, and each case relates to the past.
In it, we meet Danny (Torn Urie) brother of the recently deceased Big Jazzer, who is persuaded to join his sibling's moribund rock band, the Majestics, for their golden jubilee tour. This sits ill with the band, but pleases Suzy (Dawn Steele) who’s had a crush on Danny since their shared college days. Under the direction of a dodgy entrepreneur manager (John Ramage) the tour goes ahead, amidst a succession of amorous catastrophes wrought by lead guitarist Vincent (Tam Dean Burn) which make victims of a young groupie (Helen Mallon) and his ‘her indoors’ (Fiona Knowles). The hinterlands of the Scottish provincial touring circuit are littered with the bloody consequences.
Director Tony Cownie shows an astonishing facility with pacing, as one scene follows another and events crowd in, all producing an exhilarating zigzag from joy to despair, but never losing story. He’s helped by a breathtaking multimedia set from Neil Murray, which features a series of monochrome cartoons with a Salvador Dali edge. The performances are splendid, with Urie belting out his songs with real power and Steele in equally full voice with an alternately winsome and acidic character, while Ramage presents a master class in comic timing and diction with his shyster manager. Burn is in equally vigorous form, though the tragic status his character builds might be a little thrown away at the finale. This is a splendid, bittersweet night of entertainment that might remind us again of the kind of power a decently resourced theatre can achieve. (Steve Cramer)