Theatre
ELAYHOUSE CREATURES Dundee Rep. Sat 27 Oct—Sat 10 Nov
:x' '4' " v ' .' -- 1's " ' z alike, creating storms of applause in India where it first gm. 1! .' ' :~ ° :1 .' 1'. appeared and at its British premiere with the RSC over ' ' ' ‘ a year ago. Supple‘s version incorporates actors and
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM creative staff from India, Sri Lanka and the UK, and
King‘s Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 23—Sat 27 Oct sees dialogue uttered in three languages. The cultural referents of the piece are manifold, from what sounds Okay, let me fess up. The prospect of another like a kind of subcontinental magic realism to a more production of the Dream will, generally, fail to fill me traditionally English interpretation. with the joys of life, despite the great text's best Yet, the story is still one of love and repression. Its intentions in that direction. Like most theatre critics four young lovers still enter a world of wish fulfilment in I‘ve seen more productions of this, possibly their forest and dream world, swapping and Shakespeare‘s greatest, and certainly his most unswapping partners in a darker, more subconscious performed comedy than I care to remember. So why am world of desire, where taboos can be broken and I looking forward to, and strongly recommending this etiquette ignored. In this production too, the one? mechanicals, so often treated as simple throwaway Well, for one, Michael Billington, the great Guardian light comedy are, by every account men of greater critic has described it as, ‘the most life-affirming substance and significance to the text. If Supple‘s production of Shakespeare's play since Peter Brook's‘. production lives up to half its hype, this piece might High praise indeed, and Tim Supple‘s production has well stay in the memories of even the most time- received similar accolades from critics and audiences hardened critics for some time to come. (Steve Cramer)
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ONLY THE MEN
Byre Theatre, St Andrews. Thu 25 Oct: Platform, Glasgow. Tue 30 Oct; Brunton Theatre. Edinburgh. Wed 31 Oct: CCA. Glasgow, Thu 1—Sat 3 Nov
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