Theatre
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PREVIEW SCOTTISH THEATRE THE HOME SEASON Pitlochry Festival Theatre, until Sat
17 Oct
As the curtain comes down on another packed season of theatre in the Central Belt. and with the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe waiting in the wings. it's worth casting an eye over the superb series of Scottish plays Currently running at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
The season. conceived to mark the Year of Homecoming, includes the first revival in Scotland since 1983 of Victor Carin's Scots language translation of Goldoni's farce. The Servant O’ Na Maisters. about a manservant who attempts to juggle two jobs. with chaotic conseQUences. Meanwhile. JM Barrie's 1908 comedy What Every Woman Knows focuses on a young ambitious railway porter who meets his meal ticket — and his match — in the formidable Maggie Wylie.
Literary adaptations include Jay Presson Allen‘s enduring version of Muriel Spark's classic of sex and power. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. as well as the world premier of Whisky Galore - A Musical!. based on Compton Mackenzie‘s funny. romantic novel about what happens when the SS Cabinet Minister runs aground with fifty thousand cases of whisky on a remote Hebridean island.
And there are a couple of contemporary classics on offer too. including Liz Lochhead's Good Things. in which a newly Single fiftysomething charity shop volunteer embarks on a new life of speed and cyber dating. and Simon Donald's black comedy. The Life Of Stuff. in which a gangster exacts vengeance from beyond the grave. (Allan Radcliffe) I For ful/ details see www. list. co. uk/theatre
PREVIEW CHILDREN'S CLASSIC ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS The Lodge Grounds, North Berwick, Thu 16 Jul
With Tim Burton and Johnny Depp set to re-imagine Alice ’5 Adventures in Wonderland for the silver screen, Lewis Carroll’s fantastical tales are firmly back in the public eye. So rich is Carroll’s storytelling that, since its publication in the 19th century, thousands of interpretations have graced screen and stage. Now Quantum Theatre’s adaptation of Alice Through the Looking Glass, Carroll’s sequel to Wonderland, is touring outdoor venues across the UK.
For actor Paul Chambers - who plays Tweedledee, the Red Queen, Humpty Dumpty and the White King - Carroll’s story is a timeless one. ‘It touches the imagination and is so unlike any other children’s book, with its word play and language,’ says Chambers.
‘People love it because the story - a rite of passage - essentially captures them in it.’
Chambers says it was important that the cast of four’s outdoor production stayed as faithful to the book as possible, and much of the costume design has been inspired directly by the book’s illustrations. ‘The crazy characters are such a big pull for people, and we were keen to really grab the absurdity and silliness of it all. Children love the colour and nonsense of it but then you have an audience of adults who love the word play and appreciate the depth of it.’
Chambers is hopeful that staging it outside also adds a dimension of mischief to the piece. ‘lt’s just this fantastical, unique story that will endure and endure; every night the audience bring their own memories to the theatre, which just makes it a fun night for everyone.‘ (Anna Millar)
PREVIEW COMMUNITY THEATRE NO ROOM FOR BIGOTRY GilmorehillG12, Glasgow, Fri 10 & Sat 11 Jul
Forms of drug addiction and sectarianism are perhaps the two most pressing social issues facing the West Coast of Scotland. It's timely. then. that the boys of Jericho House, an institution which helps young men with drug problems. should devise a piece that addresses both issues at once.
There's a touch of Romeo and Juliet about the story. as drawn together from the boys‘ contributions by director Mark Williamson. 'There's this young couple. and the girl's pregnant. They want to get married. but their two families are from either side of the sectarian divide. and the fathers have all kinds of problems with this.‘ he explains. ‘There are also two sons from the same families. who have addiction problems and these two get pretty close. because they're both using at the time. and addicts tend to team up. so. perversely. they move the families closer together.‘
This. though. in no way excuses the sectarianism
which Williamson tells us is part of the problem the boys face. ‘lt's not completely uncommon for the boys to have problems with bigotry. It's as if being drug addicts. livmg in the margins and the shadows of society. they find a way of belonging by domg what they can to JOllT these tribes. so that they at least have some sense of belonging.‘
Williamson is quick to disabuse us of the idea that the evening is more worthy than entertaining. While the piece doesn't attempt to sweeten its message. there are some uplifting moments to enjoy: you might even struggle for a ticket. ‘We always sell the show out.“ says Williamson. ‘There's a lot of very funny scenes. as well as tragic ones. A lot of the experiences we represent are from the real lives of the participants and the people around them. You really couldn't make some of this stuff up. And because there are no girls in the group. it's an all-boy organisation, the boys have to dress up as girls — that can often be funny in itself. People really have flocked to the last few shows we've done.‘
(Steve Cramer)
9—23 Jill 2009 THE LIST 85