Theatre
O Z Z O R O M M O T
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REVIEW CLASSIC THE PRICE Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until Sat 13 Feb ●●●●●
It’s not hard to see why the creative team at the Lyceum plumped for The Price as the latest revival by their favourite playwright. Arthur Miller’s last big popular success, exploring the unhappy legacy of the Great Depression, resonates more than ever at a time of global bust. The taut domestic drama depicts
two estranged brothers brought together to dispose of the family’s possessions when their father’s apartment is scheduled for demolition. Victor Franz (Greg Powrie) gave up a promising career in science to support his father, whose business failed during the crash and has spent years despondently pounding the beat as a cop. His brother Walter (Aden Gillet), meanwhile, carved out a lucrative and successful career for himself as a surgeon. Victor’s strong sense of moral righteousness at supporting his father to the overall financial detriment of himself and his wife Esther (Sally Edwards) is pitted against the uncompromising self- belief of Walter, a dichotomy that intensifies as the action progresses. Powrie gives a particularly convincing performance as the decent but rather self-righteous Victor, his heartfelt defence of his life’s decisions climaxing in a startling description of his mother vomiting relentlessly into his father’s hands when the old man declared his bankruptcy. The intensity of the four-hander is mollified by a engagingly comic performance from James Hayes as the ancient antique dealer Gregory Solomon, his finely-tuned pragmatism a refreshing antidote to the pride and intolerance that has ripped this family apart. (Allan Radcliffe)
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86 THE LIST 21 Jan–4 Feb 2010
Events are listed by city, then alphabetically by venue. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to theatre@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Suzanne Black. ✽✽ Indicates Hitlist entry Glasgow
■ THE ARCHES OFF-SITE 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000.
✽✽ Lynda Radley: BIRDS and Other Things I Am Afraid of
Tue 2–Sun 21 Feb. 7pm & 9pm (Sun mat 2pm). £9 (£6). Directed by Sandy Thomson and with original music from Michael John McCarthy (Zoey Van Goey), Lynda Radley hunkers down in a garden shed for an intimate performance about shedding family mythology. Due to the off-site location, meet at Kelvinbridge tube (top entrance) 15 mins before the performance. See preview, page 84.
■ EASTWOOD PARK THEATRE Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, 577 4970. Tally’s Blood Wed 27–Sat 30 Jan. 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £7–£9. Giffnock Theatre Players present this bittersweet Scottish-Italian love story following the ill-fated love affair between a young Italian girl and her Scottish boyfriend during WWII.
■ KING’S THEATRE 297 Bath Street, 0844 871 7648. The Chinese State Circus Until Sun 24 Jan. Thu & Fri 5pm & 8pm; Sat 2pm & 7.30pm; Sun 2pm & 5pm. £12–£26. Action-packed acrobatics by the Wu-Shu Flying Warriors. Giselle Tue 26 & Wed 27 Jan. 7.30pm (Wed mat 2.30pm). £13.50–£30.50. Giselle, Theophile Gautier’s tale of love and betrayal, is performed by Russian State Ballet.
Sleeping Beauty Thu 28 & Fri 29 Jan. 7.30pm. £13.50–£30.50. Russian State Ballet’s production of the tale of the soporific effects of spindles, set to Tchaikovsky’s score. Swan Lake Sat 30 Jan. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £13.50–£30.50. Russian State Ballet of Siberia performs a lavish staging of Tchaikovsky’s romantic ballet. Blood Brothers Mon 1–Sat 13 Feb (not Sun). 7.30pm (Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm). £11.50–£30. Set in Russell’s native Liverpool, Blood Brothers tells the tale of twin boys separated at birth that are reunited later in life by a twist of fate and a mother’s secret. ■ MUGDOCK COUNTRY PARK Craigallian Road, Milngavie, 956 6100. Rabbie’s Haggis Hoolie Sat 30 & Sun 31 Jan. See Kids listings.
■ PAVILION THEATRE 121 Renfield Street, 332 1846. The New Magical Adventures of Pinocchio Until Sat 30 Jan (not Mon). 7.30pm (23, 24 & 30 Jan mat 2.30pm; Wed mat 1.30pm). £14.50–£17.50. Panto fun with Stephen Purdon, Dean Park, Cat Harvey, Joyce Falconer and Des McLean. ■ RAMSHORN THEATRE 98 Ingram Street, 548 2558. Twelfth Night Thu 28 Jan–Sat 6 Feb (not Sun). 7.30pm. £6–£9 (£4–£6). Mistaken identity, shipwrecks and transvestitism as Strathclyde Theatre Group relocates Shakespeare’s farce to the roaring 20s, where androgyny, jazz and passion are de rigueur.
■ SCOTTISH MASK AND PUPPET CENTRE 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Sigurd the Dragon Slayer Sat 23 Jan. See Kids listings.
Oscar and the Quest for the Underground Princess Sat 30 Jan. See Kids listings. ■ SCOTTISH YOUTH THEATRE The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 2988. How Cold My Toes Thu 4 Feb. See Kids listings.
■ SECC Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000.
✽✽ The Wall of Death: A Way of Life Thu 4–Fri 12 Feb (not Mon).
6.30pm & 8.30pm; Sat/Sun 2pm & 5pm. £10 (£6). Visual artist Stephen Skrynka joins the world-famous Ken Fox Troupe to learn to ride the motorcycle Wall of Death. The show comprises live action from the motorcycle team and the unveiling of Skrynka’s installation looking at his emotional response to the act.
■ THEATRE ROYAL 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647. Go Dance 10 Tue 26–Sat 30 Jan. 7.30pm. £6–£11. A dance festival showcasing Scotland’s dance talent, with performers from community groups, dance schools and colleges.
✽✽ Traces Thu 4–Sat 6 Feb. 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £17–£23. Light
relief at the circus with Traces, which combines urban acrobatics with traditional big top skills to an eclectic soundtrack of hip hop, rock and classical music. See preview, page 84.
■ TRON THEATRE 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Anguish With Posie Until Sat 23 Jan. 7.30pm. £8.50 (£6.50). Ian Macpherson examines the relationship between an older man, younger woman and the changes she brings about in his life. Long Gone Lonesome Thu 21 & Fri 22 Jan. 8pm. £12.50. Duncan McLean’s new piece of musical theatre tells the story of the fascinating Thomas Fraser, a
Vicky Featherstone’s production for the National Theatre of Scotland reaches Long Gone Lonesome the end of its Scottish tour with a couple of performances at the Tron as part of Celtic Connections. Duncan McLean’s piece of musical theatre tells the story of Thomas Fraser, a Shetland fisherman who, inspired by his American blues heroes, recorded versions of their songs on the most rudimentary of equipment, through storytelling, music from the Lone Star Swing Band and improvisations. ■ Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 21 & Fri 22 Jan.