Theatre
Carmen Iii , The way of H
PREVIEW NEW SEASON CORONA CLASSIC CUTS Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Sat 29 Jun
King Lear in 50 minutes looks a pretty tall order, but it’s just one of four canonical classics reduced to lunchtime length in this new season from Oran Mor’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint. Producer David MacLennan has extended the usual run at Oran Mor into Scotland’s summer season with a view to extending its repertory into old favourites.
The season incorporates Tam Dean Burn’s version of Congreve’s The Way of the World and Lorca’s The Shoemaker’s Wonderful Wife as adapted by Paines Plough’s Roxana Silbert and directed by Rosie Kellagher, along with a a second Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra directed by Kenny Miller. But how will they cut them down? ‘Ah, that’s the challenge,’ says
94 THE LIST 5—19 Jun 2008
www.|ist.co.uk/theatre
PREVIEW CONTEMPORARY DANCE NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER 2
Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 10 & Wed 11 Jun
Many people claim to find inspiration from above. But French choreographer. Medhi Walerski looked skyward for more practical reasons — the clouds. Creating his debut work for Nederlands Dans Theater 2. Walerski was taken by the bumpy Mammatus clouds left behind after a big storm.
‘lt's a very beautiful atmosphere.‘ says Walerski. 'And can be many different colours from orange to purple. really amazing. So I wanted to create that atmosphere on stage. something dreamy and almost like a lantasy.‘ Walerski joined the Nederlands Dans Theater stable in 2001 as a dancer with NDT2. Two years later he moved on to NDTt and has now begun choreographing for the company — a perfect example of how dancers can develop at this exceptional company.
Set against a backdrop of gently falling snow. Mammatus will be performed alongside Lightfoot/Leon's stunning Sleight of Hand and Johan lnger's expressive Dream P/ay. With all three works tapping into the incredible youthful vigour the NDT2 dancers have to offer. Having been there himself not so long ago. Walerski knew exactly what to do with them in the rehearsal studio.
'I remember being in NDT2 and there being this huge energy and physical power,’ recalls Walerski. 'From the age of 20—23/24 you have this fire inside you. you’re ready to explode. and I really wanted to work with the dancers and use that in the piece.‘ (Kelly Apter)
MacLennan. ‘What to leave out? That’s what I call the tricky thing. I’m glad I’m not directing any of them, I think I’d be too indecisive. There’ll need to be some difficult decisions, and there’ll no doubt be some members of the audience waiting for particular bits that they won’t get - I guess it’s one of those situations where you keep in the big soliloquy if it’s central to telling the story, or it’s a particularly important aspect of it. Even then there might be too much - they might have to shorten them.’
For all his obvious excitement at this new pared down approach to big, scary texts, MacLennan stresses that the primary aim of his theatre hasn’t changed. ‘lt’s an experiment, but I have no intention of diminishing the new work we do - we’re running this when the theatre is normally dark, so this is a quick and easily digestible bite of the classics, which we’ll repeat if people come to it.’ (Steve Cramer)
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PREVIEW NEW WORK THE INFINITE PLEASURES OF THE GREAT UNKNOWN Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 6 & Sat 7 Jun
The provocative Dr Mabuse trilogy. made by Fritz Lang in the 1020-308. was banned by the Nazis. before the filmmaker fled the country. It's frightening. though unsurprising, that a work steeped in the terror of its time still resonates today.
Perfornier/clioreographer Frank Bock and director/designer Simon Vincen/i have explored movement and image since 1095. though this piece promises to be one of their darkest. Producer Nicky Childs says of the piece: ‘Dr Mabuse is a psychiatrist by day. and is leading a plot to bring down the world through terror by night. Simon draws parallels to the current reign of terror, how our world is governed by the fear that something might happen. Also, King Lear. the tragedy of that play. and the chaos that ensues.‘
Vincen/i has a background in art. so the design of the piece is as important as its performance. ‘lt's a filmic piece.‘ says Childs. “The performers are watching the film while they are performing. and copying the actions. It does create a world of fear. where these two characters are pitched against each other.‘ With a running time similar to one of Lang's films. audiences will be free to view the work from different perspectives. ‘Although very physical, it has an installatory feel to it. The world starts outside the space. including the website that they've created. It's carrying on the fiction, so you're not sure what is reality and what is the show.’ (Sarah Redhead)