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Theatre
PREVIEW Nl 4 I.
THE DUCKY
Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock. Fri 1 & Sat 2 May, then touring
‘Michelle is one of those people who doesn’t seem to have much luck in life,’ says Hannah Donaldson. ‘As soon as she gets over one obstacle, another one comes along and smacks her in the face.‘
It’s fair to say that on that front, Donaldson and her latest character have very little in common. Since graduating from the RSAMD, the 24-year-old has gone from one plum role to the next — the latest of which is playing Michelle in DC Jackson’s new comic drama, The Ducky.
‘It's amazing - I keep wanting to pinch myself,’ says Donaldson on her acting career thus far. ‘I’m very aware how lucky I’ve been, but long may it continue.‘ Donaldson and Michelle may differ on that front, but in some ways, this is the closest she’s come to playing herself. First seen in Jackson‘s award-winning play, The Wall, Michelle is one of a group of young friends from the East Ayrshire town of Stewarton. Home from
84 THE LIST 3.‘ ~\r' ’~1 Ma. .‘ ‘
university for the holidays, she's going through the emotional turmoil all of us experience during our late- teens/early 205.
Having played the daughter of Oedipus in Antigone, a young child in Molly Whuppy and most recently a pregnant teenager in Baby Baby, Donaldson is finally taking on a character she can identify with. ‘lt‘s always nice to play something a bit closer to home because you can completely empathise with so many of the issues,’ she says. ‘And that’s what I love about Daniel's writing, he seems to accurately pinpoint those really important transitional periods in your life.’
Produced by Borderline Theatre, The Wall’s look at teenage dilemmas played to sell-out houses across Scotland. Two years down the line, the five friends have even more to share with us. ‘The characters have all grown up and I think Daniel himself has grown up as a writer,‘ says Donaldson. ‘The Wall was a very witty coming of age comedy, but the issues the characters face in The Ducky are a bit more substantial. They’re dealing with really quite poignant things and decisions that could change their lives.’ (Kelly Apter)
REVIEW lllSlORlCAL DRAMA COPENHAGEN
www.list.co.uk/theatre
REVIEW AIN‘WVV UN
AFTER MARY ROSE
Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh. Sat 2 May; Traverse Theatre. Edinburgh Wed 6-Sat 9 May; Dundee Rep. Wed 13 May. Seen at Howden Park Centre. Livingston. Fri 24 Apr
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Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until Sat 9 May 000
Michael Frayn's Copenhagen is; that rarest of beasts: a fictionaliserl account of real illf} (1".(Er'llt3. rlense in historical research, that manages not to lose Slglll of the hurriari (lilemrna at its centre. Springing from a fascinating premise (a meeting between Danish quantum physicist Niels Bohr and his German protege Werner Heisenber’; at the tormer's home in September 1941 and its potential global significance) the text iu'nps back and forth in time between 19/11; a postwar nieetinr; tollowrng the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshiriia and Nagasaki; early encounters bet/leer: the two in 1924: and a ghostly afterlife when Bohr, Heisenberg and Bohr?) wife Margrethe ialso present in 194 1t are free to speculate wrthout tear of redress.
These conjectures inform the drama. What was Heisenberg's intention in risitino Bohr? What actually transpired at the meeting? Was Heiserrberg’s work on :leveioping atormc energy for the Germans being carried Out for the purpose of creating a reactor or for the development of an atomic bomb?
Ne.l Murray's set design for Tony Cownie's engaging production is s and; striking: an irripresszonistic wood created from outsrzed rolled-up sheets of paper on which are etched the laborious workings of Bohr, Heisenberg and countless other rerio.'.rrie<l physrcists, But the set is barely used by the actors who remain largely so'i‘meo‘ to the downstage area. and this lack of movement beyond the undulating page of the text leads to occaSional dips in momentum. That said. the three—strong ::ast makes a respectable fist of Frayn's complex. GXDOSIIIOfl-heavy play. v‘llih Owen Oakesnott in particular bringing a much-needed lightness of touch to bear on pass'onate. neurotic Heisenberg. rAIlan Radcliffei
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