Theatre
NARRATIVE DANCE DORIAN GRAY Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 29 Sep–Sat 3 Oct
In August 2008, the eyes of the dance world turned expectantly on one man: Matthew Bourne. Known internationally for choreographing fun shows for all the family – Edward Scissorhands and Nutcracker to name but two – Bourne had strayed into unfamiliar territory. Not only did his bold re-working of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray tackle sex, drugs and violence, but it premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival. ‘There was a lot of hype,’ recalls dancer Richard Windsor. ‘It was the fastest-selling dance show in Festival history, and such a different thing for Matthew to do. I think it shocked some people, but they also appreciated the fact we didn’t hold back.’
A year later, Bourne’s company is back in Scotland
with Dorian Gray. As with all his productions, however, a degree of tweaking has taken place. ‘It’s always growing and being fine-tuned,’ explains Windsor. ‘And the storyline flows better now. For me, it’s been great to re-think the character and delve deeper – I can’t wait to perform it again with the changes.’
According to Bourne, Windsor’s ability to carry a
role was one of the things that inspired him to adapt the work in the first place. As the eponymous young man, Windsor changes from naive wannabe to egotistical hedonist and mentally ill murder in two acts – quite a challenge. ‘I approach things not just as a dancer, but as an
actor,’ says Windsor, ‘and Dorian is a real gift to perform. I’m on stage the entire time and it’s such an emotional rollercoaster – I try not to think about it too much, and just let go.’ (Kelly Apter)
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PREVIEW MUSICAL REVIVAL THE STRIPPER King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 29 Sep–Sat 3 Oct
‘I hate old age,’ complains Richard O’Brien. ‘The only thing going for it is the bus pass.’ But although the Rocky Horror Show writer may bemoan his 67 years, the revival of his 1982 musical The Stripper, now on a five- week tour of the UK, shows that his career still has plenty of life. Based on a novel by crime writer
Carter Brown, O’Brien claims that the revamped production – written with Rocky Horror Show collaborator, composer Richard Hartley – is long overdue. ‘It was something that was done in Australia for five weeks,’ he explains, ‘and I was never very happy with the production out there. It fell short on many levels. So I took out four or five songs and a character, and generally tightened it up.’
However, the composition of this jazz noir musical hasn’t been without its difficulties. O’Brien admits: ‘Brown never introduced a female character unless he introduced her breasts at the same time. But I’ve tried my hardest not to let the show become exploitative, demeaning or misogynistic, so we can all have a laugh at the period without compromising the actors or embarrassing the audience.’
What’s more, he believes that its Glasgay! run will be a vital barometer of the show’s success. ‘I think the Glasgow run is going to tell us more about the future of the show than anywhere else; I expect the reaction will be completely individual.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman)
ADAPTATION AN ARGUMENT ABOUT SEX Tramway, Glasgow, Thu 1–Sat 17 Oct, then touring
Pamela Carter’s new play sees two wealthy hedge fund managers conduct a debate about whether male risk-taking and female risk-aversion are inborn biological conditions or socially constructed behaviours. In order to resolve the issue, the pair adjourn to a place where they can watch teenagers interacting to draw appropriate conclusions. Director and designer Stewart Laing highlights the aptness of the piece: ‘We knew we were doing this before the financial crash, but the events of recent times have kind of emphasised the point. I think gender difference is particularly apparent in the financial industry. The original play is quite short – the published version is about 35 pages long; what Pamela has done is put a contemporary framework around it.’ The piece is also unusual in its use of space, with performances taking place
initially in an intimate studio theatre, and then on a main stage at both the Tramway and the Traverse theatre. ‘I like intimate staging,’ explains Laing. ‘But I like more epic staging too. I think in Scotland in particular, the site-specific way of doing things has really taken off, and audiences have been opened up to going on a journey physically, not just sitting in one place for the entire evening.
‘So it sort of borrows that, but you don’t have to wade through a muddy abandoned factory or something; it all happens in the comfort zone of one theatre.’ (Steve Cramer)
82 THE LIST 24 Sep–8 Oct 2009