■ NORTH EDINBURGH ARTS CENTRE 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Rawums (:) Mon 10–Wed 12 May. See Kids listings. Woodbeat Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings. ■ OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. Feast of Fools – Nomadic Academy of Fools Wed 5 May. 7.30pm. Donations. Performance utilising Jonathan Kay’s Fooling Technique and a new theatre practice called CDT (Comedy de Tragic).
■ PLAYHOUSE 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 847 1660.
✽✽ Les Miserables Until Sat 15 May (not Sun). 7.30pm (Thu & Sat mat
2.30pm). £24–£48.50. See review, below. ■ ROXY ART HOUSE 2 Roxburgh Place, 629 0039. Richard II Thu 6–Sun 9 May. 7pm. £8.50 (£5). A bare stage version of one of Shakey’s lesser-performed plays.
■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848.
✽✽ The Cherry Orchard Until Sat 8 May (not Sun/Mon). 7.45pm (Sat 1
& Sat 8 mat 2.30pm). £12–£27. See review, page 83.
✽✽ Blue Hen Thu 13–Sat 15 May. 7.45pm. £15 (£10–£12). See
Glasgow, Citizens Theatre. ■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Cinderella Mon 10–Sat 15 May (not Thu). See Kids listings. Sense Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings.
Theatre
Guys and Dolls Wed 5–Sat 8 May. 7.30pm. £9 (£7.50). Encore presents Frank Loesser’s classic musical about a bunch of small time gamblers and their gals, with all those show-stopping numbers like ‘Luck Be a Lady Tonight’ and ‘Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat’. Martha Mon 10–Wed 12 May. See Kids listings. The Terrific Adventures of Brave Joan Woodsword Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings.
■ CHURCH HILL THEATRE 33a Morningside Road, 529 4147. Rustle of Spring Until Sat 1 May. 7.30pm. £9. Sixty-third annual concert from the Edinburgh Telephone Choir. Closer Wed 5–Sat 8 May. 7.30pm (Sat mat 2pm). £9 (£7). Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Groups’ stage version of Patrick Marber’s play that was made into a popular film starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman. One Thousand Paper Cranes Tue 11–Sun 16 May (not Thu). See Kids listings. The Cemetery Club Wed 12–Sat 15 May. 7.30pm. £9 (£7). The Ivan Menchell’s play about three New York widows who meet once a year at their husbands’ graves. The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk Thu 13–Sun 16 May. See Kids listings. ■ FESTIVAL THEATRE 13/29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. Scottish Ballet: Romeo and Juliet Until Sat 1 May. 7.30pm (Thu & Sat mat 2pm). £9.50–£36.50. Another chance to see Scottish Ballet’s contemporary take on the Prokofiev ballet. Stepping Out Tue 4–Sat 8 May. 7.30pm (Thu & Sat mat 2.30pm). £13–£27.50. Reprisal of the story of a washed-up dancer and her attempts to stage a performance at a charity ball.
86 THE LIST 29 Apr–13 May 2010
■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404.
✽✽ The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Until Sat 8 May (not Mon). Tue–Sat 7.30pm (Wed 5 & Sat 8 mat 2.30pm); Sun 6pm. £8–£16 (£5–£12). See review, page 83. Rehearsal Room 16 Until Sat 1 May. Wed–Fri 8pm; Sat 2.30pm. £5; £12 for all three (£3.50; £9 for all three). Stellar Quines Theatre Company fuses well established artists with fresh talent to present three contrasting plays and draw you closer to the development process through the opportunity to witness rehearsals, ask questions and give your own feedback. Wed 28 Apr is Blow Me Beautiful by Gabriel Quigley and Vicky Liddell and directed by Marilyn Imrie; Thu 29 is Dare to Care by Christine Lindsay and directed by Muriel Romanes; Fri 30 Apr is The Next of It by John McCann and directed by Lu Kemp; or catch all three on Sat 1 May. Linda MacLean: The Writer as Artist Sat 1 May. 10.30am–4.30pm. £16 (£8). Scottish playwright Linda McLean leads a playwriting workshop that takes visual art as inspiration. Booking essential. Meet at National Gallery of Modern Art. Another Leap! Thu 6 & Fri 7 May. 8pm. £10 (£4–£6). Queen Margaret University and Telford College perform bits and pieces mined from the Traverse’s archives. Gordon Brown: A Life in the Theatre Thu 6 May. 1pm & 9.45pm. £6 (£5 in advance). Dominic Hill and David Greig lead Scottish playwrights through staged readings exploring contemporary politics and the current PM on the day of the General Election while election results are shown throughout and screened after in the Traverse Bar Café. New Work for Young Audiences Sat 8 May. 10.30am–4.30pm. £16 (£8). Workshop for writers with a young audience in mind. Book in advance.
Chit-Chat Mon 10–Wed 12 May. See Kids listings. The Sun, the Moon and a Boy Called River Tue 11–Sun 16 May. See Kids listings. Madcap Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings. Outside the Cities
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530. Stepping Out Until Sat 1 May. 7.30pm (Thu & Sat mat 2.30pm). £14–£19 (£8–£14). See Edinburgh, Festival Theatre.
■ PERTH THEATRE 185 High Street, Perth, 07838 621031. Mum’s the Word Until Sat 1 May. Thu 7.45pm; Fri & Sat 6pm & 8.30pm. £12–£16.50 (£10–£14.50). Comedy that portrays the joys and agonies of parenting, starring Bernie Nolan. Glitz & Glamour Fri 7 & Sat 8 May. 7.30pm (Sat mat 2pm). £11 (£8). An annual children’s dance display by the talented young movers and shakers of Matthew Dance Academy. ■ MACROBERT University of Stirling, Stirling, 01786 466666. The Singing Kettle: Calamity Castle Sat 1–Mon 3 May. 1pm & 3.30pm. £10 (family ticket £36). Everything’s going wrong at Calamity Castle since Archie’s taken over as Laird. Along with Cilla, Kevin and Gary, he’s got to get the castle shipshape before Lord Spout returns, and with the help of some audience members he might just manage it. The Caretaker Tue 11 May. 8pm. £12 (£9; under 18s and students £6). London Classic Theatre presents Harold Pinter’s play about an ageing down and out who is taken in by a kindly young man.
REVIEW MUSICAL LES MISÉRABLES Edinburgh Playhouse until Sat 15 May ●●●●●
To become the longest running West End musical of all time, you have to be doing something right. But given the vast amount of performers who have sung their hearts out in Les Misérables over the years, it seems fair to attribute the show’s global success to the man who started it all – Claude-Michel Schönberg. Yes, Victor Hugo’s epic 19th century novel gives us a cast of diverse
characters, Herbert Kretzmer’s lyrics are by turns moving and funny, and the talented cast is believable and full-voiced. But it is Schönberg’s music that grabs you from the first chord. The Frenchman’s monumental score never pauses for breath, this being the kind of musical where nobody speaks – every line is sung.
Following the complicated plot line isn’t always easy, especially the political
nuances of the revolution, but let’s be honest, most people go to Les Mis for the songs. You could almost touch the air of expectation when Fantine stepped forward to sing I Dreamed a Dream (especially since SuBo herself was in the crowd the night I saw it – who, to my mind, does a better job). Musical theatre is known for its jaunty jazz hands, but Les Misérables dares to
be different. Aside from the despicable Thenardier couple (played here to hilarious effect by Ashley Artus and Lynne Wilmot, whose bra gets the best supporting actress award) it’s pretty much wall to wall misery, as the name suggest. But the glimmers of love and hope, and above all, the rousing numbers, ensure you leave the theatre with a smile on your face. (Kelly Apter)
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