Theatre
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Dundee Rep, until Sat 2 Jan ●●●●● PINOCCHIO Perth Theatre, until Sat 2 Jan ●●●●●
Perth Theatre eschews thigh slapping, portly gents in hoop skirts and cries of ‘it’s behind you’ for a family musical; to call Pinocchio a panto would result in a vastly elongated nose. The tricky thing with a non-traditional Christmas show is to engender the same level of giddy festive cheer as a trad panto without relying on the same tricks.
Using Paul Boyd’s recent adaptation of the fairy tale and directed by Ian Grieve, Pinocchio is great where it works but frustrating where it misses: the lacklustre Pinocchio costume detracts from some lovely sets; stand- out songs such as ‘Red Lobster Inn’ make the rest of the numbers feel slight; a strong central performance from Donna Griffin as the wooden boy is supplemented with a plethora of smaller, ill-defined roles. Iconic episodes of the fable are given short shrift and a clear narrative is substituted for a whirlwind of scenes and characters, leading to confusion among the children in the audience and little to keep the adults engaged.
Pinocchio has all the right components but doesn’t manage to cut its strings and come alive. (Suzanne Black)
N O S T R E B O R S A L G U O D
: O T O H P
Dundee Rep have really pulled out all the stops for this year’s festive show. What’s particularly gratifying about James Brining’s production is that it succeeds in remaining faithful to the spirit and outline of Dickens’ iconic cautionary tale while bringing a humour and style to the tale that’s all its own.
Much of the pleasure of this production is derived from Neil Duffield’s witty, lyrical adaptation, which moves the action along apace, while Neil Warmington and Phyllis Byrne’s evocative set and costume designs and the lighting effects by Philip Gladwell add an eerie, uncanny atmosphere to the piece. The action is also superbly complemented by Jon Beales’ expressive but unobtrusive musical arrangements. John Buick is on splendidly grouchy
form as the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge, and the small acting ensemble as a whole works wonders, each member moving effortlessly from one role to the next, before absorbing themselves seamlessly back into the crowd as the familiar story moves from past to present and future before its uplifting, redemptive finale. (Allan Radcliffe)
ZORRO Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until Thu 24 Dec ●●●●●
Trust Visible Fictions – the hardest working, most innovative theatre company creating work for young folk and their grown-ups on the Scottish theatre scene – to be thinking most emphatically out of the box at this time of year. No snowflakes, sleigh-bells or soppy fairy tale characters for their Christmas show, oh no. Instead we’re transported to the sunny, dusty climes of colonial California for a swashbuckling encounter with everyone’s favourite masked vigilante. Zorro has made countless appearances in
pulp fiction, film, television and comic books, and, as Davey Anderson’s pacey adaptation attests, the heroic hombre’s adventures are easily pitched to fans of all ages. For the most part Douglas Irvine’s production eschews lavish spectacle and cumbersome props and set design for good old-fashioned verbal storytelling, the sparse, pop-up book staging leaving ample space for budding imaginations to get to work. The three-strong cast brings just the right balance of warmth and swagger to their multiple roles, adding depth to the story with little moments of off the cuff humour. Highly enjoyable from start to finish. (Allan Radcliffe)
THE CORSTORPHINE ROAD NATIVITY Edinburgh Festival Theatre, until Sat 19 Dec ●●●●●
The guffaws of recognition from the parents and teachers in the audience affirm the accuracy of The Corstorphine Road Nativity’s reproduction of all the muddled, mean, poignant, perceptive and downright hilarious things that children say on a daily basis.
The source of the humour here is the familiarity of it all – the types are instantly recognisable, from the teacher’s pet to the creepy loner who smells a bit odd. Gail Watson in particular gives a standout performance as the serious little farmer’s daughter who looks upon her peers with a world weariness that comes from knowing where babies come from.
The light touch of Tim Firth’s original television version (the excellent Flint Street Nativity) has been lost with the addition of songs sung to the tune of carols, where the children soliloquise about their home lives, families and cares. Luckily this doesn’t detract too much from the steady stream of well-received one-liners and irresistibly daft physical humour in this production – so reconnect with your inner child and don’t be surprised to find yourself giggling helplessly at a man in a cardboard donkey’s head braying ‘fart’ and ‘willy’ to the tune of ‘Ding Dong Merrily On High’. (Laura Ennor)
N O S T R E B O R S A L G U O D
: O T O H P
92 THE LIST 17 Dec 2009–7 Jan 2010