Festival Theatre
SCARBOROUGH Scandal in Scarborough oooo
An ever controversial issue, teacher/pupil relationships are by no means a novel subject matter, but you will rarely have experienced a performance (iiiite so up close and personal as Scarborough. The audience line the walls of a very intimate seedy hotel room as Lauren and her pupil, Dal, while away his sixteenth birthday weekend in secret. An emotionally intense piece, it explores the conflict of guilt and love which manifests itself upon their relationship. It becomes an intense exploration ol their feelings With only a vague relerence to paedophilia as they read an article in the paper that disgusts thetn, highlighting the double standards they live by.
There’s nowhere to hide as you literally become part ol the furniture and this lorced voyeurism allows you
hr l LA DIDONE Hi-fi sci-fr ooo
to closely observe the rise and tall ol their emotions as they lace their impossible luture. lhe plot doesn't hold rnany surpris 2s but what makes this piece work is the concise detail ol their characters in such a corilined space. fascinating to watch.
(Greer Ogston)
IAssemb/y «1) George Street, (593 3030, until 2/ Aug (not 14), titties vary, f_‘9~£‘70 (Hi {‘9}.
It might make for an instructive day at the Festival to visit Tim Crouch’s England then go on to this new piece by the Wooster Group. In Crouch’s play, there is an ultimately quite angry parody of the artistic philosophy displayed in abundance in La Didone. The Wooster Group have, for over 20 years, been intrepid and often interesting with this technique, where pastiche and contrast are evoked by the combination of disparate art forms. The intended effect is that 80s postmodernist phenomenon of the concentration on depthless surfaces, withdrawing us from any judgement of value, political, philosophical or otherwise and throwing us into a relativistic reverie. It might be an old idea, but it’s still worth exploring.
The point, of course, is that all art is of the same cultural value, that one might just as well read a celebrity magazine as The Waste Land, a familiar enough conceit, interestingly presented here. In contrasting the opera of the title with a cult 60$ sci-fi film, Mario Bava's The Planet of the Vampires, we might, the philosophy underlying the piece suggests, just as well be watching a football match. But is this particular match between two art forms a scoreless draw, with the double narrative rendering both pieces, quite democratically, equally unappealing?
Not quite, for there are interesting moments to Elizabeth‘s LeCompte's silver suited production, spectacularly designed by Ruud van den Akkar. The electric guitar score accompanying opera singing makes for some appealing moments. So too, the performers are plainly familiar with their material, and render it skilfully. This is especially true of Hai Ting Chinn's
lead. He slips occasionally and very deftly from Dido into a space ship crew
member, truly a double ended Dido. There’s a vague feeling that we’ve been here before. Yet there is plenty to recommend this piece, which makes for an interesting night out. (Steve Cramer)
I Royal Lyceum 7heatre, 473 2000, until 22 Aug, 8pm, E 70—830.
102 THE LB'I’ FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 23 Aug—6 Sep 2007
W Row ooo In a maximum security prison in Colorado. three of the most dangerous terrorist bombers alive mix with a Cuban drug lord. From their cages in an exercise yard they converse. then a female barber with a secret cuts their hair. Based on true events and people. there’s a haunting. at times voyeuristic quality to looking in at these folk. and Paul Allman's script mixes the echoes of a bombing survivor trapped under concrete with strange. dislocating uses of song and everyday chatter to good effect. ()n the downside. it‘s hard to see what final point the piece makes. (Steve C tamer). Assembly®HillStreet. 623 3030, until 27 Aug, 3.55pm, £11 (£8.50).
Minutes to Midnight ooo
When a nuclear bomb wipes out the rest of the world, it‘s up to the residents of Femborough to prevent the destruction of civilisation. Creating a myriad of fun. eccentric characters, including a pie eating doctor accused of terrorism and ex-media mogul with a passion for hamsters, uncontrolled enthusiasm sometimes leads to even more over~the~ top performances than the play requires. which could be easily toned down. Like Dibley but wish it was a bit ruder‘.’ You'll love this. (Nicola Husband) Underbelly '5' Baby Belly. 0870 745 3083. until 26 Aug, 2.50pm, £8—£9 (£7—£8).
The Last .0 The last party. the last drink, the last time for. well everything. The end of the world is ‘fucking nigh'. The world is literally counting down to the end as a group of friends spend their last hysterical hours together. Filled with drugs. drink and sausage rolls. this piece begins so intensely it leaves the characters little space to manoeuvre within the rather thin plot. However, it's an interesting character exercise, which examines the extremities of human nature. (Greer Ogston) The Vault, 0845 226 272], until 27 Aug, 8pm. £6 (£4).
What’s Your Poison? ooo An addiction to crystal meth devours the personalities of the young couple in William Chadwick's play What '3 Your Poison." The piece explores the couple‘s reliance on someone, or something else. to get through life. While the abuse of drugs is no new subject matter for the stage, this is a shrewd piece. which extends compassion to its characters. (Greer Ogston) Roman Eagle Lodge, 226 7207, until 25 Aug, 5.45pm, £7.50 (£6.50).
Unnatural Acts .0. Think ofa cross between Gimme Gimme Gimme and a recent Coronation Street storyline and you’ve got the basic gist of this play. Marsha. a lonely 30$omething, and Elliot, her gay flatmate. both want to bring meaning to their career and alcohol-dependant lives. Is a baby the answer? ‘Unnatural Acting’ might have been a more appropriate title, as the piece is let down by a predictable script with some appalling comic timing. This pair are certainly no Kathy Burke and James Dreyfus. (Nicola Husband) Gilded Balloon Tei'int, 668 1633, until 2 7Aug. 5.20pm. £9.50—£10.50(£8.50—£9.50). The Florists .0 Take one florist with no flowers, a sad sack. his terminally ill sister and his mail-order bride. mix them all up in a fairly implausible, badly written script and
you've got the premise of this bizarre and pointless comedy. lithe play left out the florist idea. seemineg included only to justify the title. and focused on the comedic potential of the mail order bride scenario. it might have been even slightly tolerable. (Nicola Husband) (' your, 0845 260 1234. until 27Aug. 8.50pm.
£7.50- £9. 50 (£6. 50 - £8. 50).
Corpus Christi 0.. 'l‘t‘l’rt'ncc McNally's controversial retelling of the New Testament places Jesus in 50s Texas and involves the son of (iod iii a sexual relationship with Judas. whose consequent jealously results in the betrayal. Despite slick direction and clever ensemble work. a production can only be as good as the material you're given. and while the play may have been shocking to American Christian fundamentalists in the 90s. to l‘ringc audiences it‘s likely to seem a dry retelling of a well-known story with a crowd-pulling gimmick at its centre. (Nicola Husband) Bedlam Theatre. 225 9893. until 25 Aug, 10pm. [8(1‘7).
Tell ooo This stylish piccc depicts the abject loneliness of two peoples‘ lives as they try to recapture former happiness in their own unique ways. Alfred recounts memories of his honeymoon in Paris while Vivien dreams of a garden of her own. The couple draws you into their touching tales with a hint of melancholy. romance and humour. It's an unobtrusive play that creeps up on you until you‘re hooked on the simple pleasures and inevitable disappointments of life. (Greer Ogston) Underbelly, 0870 745 3083. until 26 Aug. 5. I0pm, £8.50 £9.50 (£7.50—£8.50).
Babble O. A monologue based on the Jorge Luis Borges short story "The Library of Babel'. Babble focuses on a secluded librarian's (Jonathan ('larkson) quest for the answers to all life's punles in his stacks of books. Though the fundamental ideas behind the play are interesting. the script itself fails to find a voice beyond the melodramatic and Clarkson‘s performance, while at points arresting, cannot compensate for such unremarkable material. (Miles Johnson) The Green Room, 220 0885, until 26 Aug, 3.20pm, £7—£8 (£6-£7). Escaping Hamlet ooo ls life predetermined, or do we have an input into our own destiny? This is the primary question asked by this fantastical reworking of Hamlet. Keeping the basic plot of the prince who discovers that his uncle killed his father and seeks revenge. this version follows Hamlet as he tries to escape his fate and fulfil his dreams of becoming an actor. Confusing in parts and hindered by a heavily accented cast, however. beautiful cestunies and innovative direction just about save the day. (Nicola Husband) (/dderBEI.I.Y 's Pasture, 0870 745 3083, until 26 Aug. 3.15pm, £10—£12 (£8—£10).
Tony Blair - the Musical ooo This slick production provides plenty of laughs and generous helpings of satire as it chronicles the achievements of the Blair premiership. A well-voiced and good-looking cast accompany the plethora of lyrically and musically impressive songs, providing a comic. if secondhand. squint behind the doors of number ten. with the deteriorating, camp, Blair/Brown relationship a particular highlight. Occasionally puerile and a