‘IT'S A POWERHOUSE
PRODUCTION WITH A BIZARRE,
DISLOCATED FEEL TO IT'
voice: A Listeni Heaven
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Be n wo horses
Liz Lochhead dubbed Torben Betts ‘about the most original and extraordinary writer of drama we have.’ Steve Cramer talks to a writer with two voices.
Steve Cramer Tell me a little about the origins of The l/neonqueretl. The central character’s a girl. I understand. who is hrutalised l'or standing up to reactionary l‘orces'.’
Torben Betts 1 got the idea from a story by Somerset Maugham. set in rural l‘rance during the war. This (ierman soldier intrudes upon a l‘amily home and ends up raping the daughter. and buying ol'l~ her starving parents by ol’l‘ers of wealth and l‘avour. I kind ol' transposed that same idea to this country or something like a modern liuropean country in the near future. alter a kind ol‘ socialist revolution. We know what happens in any small country that creates an independence and does things like nationalise its assets and begins to run things according to logic — they're quite quickly put to rights by the prevailing empire.
SC So there‘s a criticism of imperialism implicit in the text'.’
TB Yes. ll‘ you look at govermnents like Venezuela now. the prevailing empire will tend to support the counter revolution. and a lot ol‘ people die. This has been happening l'or many decades. ()ne of my l‘avourite lines in the play is: "l‘here is no alternative to the l‘ree world. the free world will not tolerate a government with an unconventional philosophy.‘ So it‘s about this idea ol‘ the Americans and British in Iraq doing it all l‘or benign reasons. all for the good ol' the people.
SC And it‘s not about the oil'.’
TB ((‘lzuek/ing) The oil'.’ Oh no. it‘s madness to suggest that!
$0 How will the piece play'.’
TB It's almost got a cartoon quality. a kind ol‘ comic strip l'eel to it. So all the props are kind ol‘ two
dimensional ink on l‘oam hoard props. It‘s all quite heightened: the language is very non-naturalistic. It should he a kind ol~ powerhouse production with a hi/arre. dislocated feel to it.
SC We‘re familiar in Scotland with one ol~ your plays. A Listening lleuren. produced at the Lyceum a few years back. as a kind of Ayckhournian l‘amily drama. but a lot of your work has also been very radical
politically and anti naturalistic. so there‘s a kind ol~
schi/ophrenia about the work . . .
TB I kind of write in two styles. I've got l‘urther in my career doing the kind of realism work. but I'm more interested in being radical and experimental. Fortunately. Muriel Romanes at Stellar Quines made me tree to do what I want. Normally I get commissioned to do other kinds ol‘ work: I‘ve got a commission at Ayckhourn‘s theatre in the summer — that‘s more in the Listening Heaven mould — he wouldn‘t like this play one hit.
SC This double style seems to have brought you trouble at times. judging from the reviews ol' your The Lunulie Queen in London last year.
TB It got badly reviewed. ()ne critic descrihed me as a much touted protege ol’ Alan Ayckhourn — this isn‘t true — and added that I‘d l’allen under the malign influence ol l-loward Barker. Actually. I think Barker is a genius. lle very kindly named me as his potential successor. But it‘s a problem for me. as you couldn‘t get two writers so l‘ar apart. and people who like one don’t like the other. I actually think I'm dil‘l‘erent lt'ottt both. and my work is certainly much darker than Ayckhourn‘s.
Byre Theatre, St Andrews, Wed 14—Sat 17 Feb, then touring.
Theatre
Hit
THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
* All My Sons Arthur Miller’s early classic is given a high quality revival at the Lyceum under the direction of John Dove. The story of an ostensiny ordinary American bourgeois family with a secret connected to the tragic loss of their son, this piece is part family drama and part political commentary. Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 10 Feb.
* The Unconquered Torben Betts’ new play, freely adapted from a story by Somerset Maugham, sees a conflict between a rebellious young woman and a mercenary soldier of an invading ‘free world‘ turn violent. With broad sweeps of humour through its anti-naturalistic action, this piece should present challenging but engrossing entertainment. Byre Theatre, St Andrews, Wed 14—Sat 17 Feb, then touring.
it Risk John Retallack’s new devised piece uses physical theatre and actual transcripts of interviews with teenagers to explore the rebellious instincts of the young and why we fear them. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 8—Sat 70 Feb, then touring. it Charlie’s Aunt Stephen Tomkinson leads in Mel Smith’s production of this classic commercial farce. Gender confusion lies at the centre of this admirable old chestnut. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Mon 12-Sat 17 Feb.
SI: The Bevellers The Citizens’ Theatre presents Jeremy Raison’s production of Glasgow working class life, which centres on macho conflicts on the shop floor at a glass factory. Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 7 Feb—Sat 8 Mar.
l— if» i ob Riki ' THE LIST 85