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Imagined Sarha (adapted by David Greig from Palestinian Walks by Raja Shehadeh) and An Arab Woman Speaks by Franca Rame. Part of Mayfesto. See review, page 84. A Most Civil Arrangement Until Sat 15 May. 7.45pm. £6.50; season pass £60 (£40). A monologue about love and same-sex marriage by Colin Hough. Part of Mayfesto. Drumhead Until Sun 16 May. 8pm. £10.50 (£6.50; season pass £60 (£40)). An off-site interactive performance about torture from Rhymes with Purple with a portion of the profits going to Amnesty International. Meet at the theatre for transport to the performance site. Part of Mayfesto. Jordan Until Sat 15 May. 9pm. £6.50; season pass £60 (£40). Robert Przekwas directs Magdalena Kaleta in the story of one mother who is pushed to the edge. Part of Mayfesto. Address Unknown Sat 15–Sat 22 May (not Mon). 7.30pm. £10.50 (£6.50; season pass £60 (£40)). Katharine Kressmann Taylor’s story about two correspondents in 1932, Max (Jewish, in San Francisco) and Martin (swayed by the Nazi message, in Munich) is brought to the stage by the Tron Theatre Company. Part of Mayfesto. Falling/ Flying Sat 15 May. 1pm. £2. Leann O’Kasi directs an emotional journey for two performers inspired by the life and death of Angie Xtravaganza. Part of Mayfesto. Gong Show Sun 16 May. 8pm. £5. Talent competition where contestants try to entertain the crowd and beat the dreaded gong. The Other Side of Conflict Tue 18–Sat 22 May. 8.45pm. £4; season pass £60 (£40). A group of Scottish-based playwrights write ten-minute plays responding to the title ‘The Other Side Of Conflict’ and interacting with political issues. Part of Mayfesto. Room Tue 18–Sat 22 May. 7.45pm. £6.50; season pass £60 (£40). A play about a woman who never leaves her flat, the strange man who is determined to oust her, and how language is misused for political ends. By Abigail Docherty; directed by Lu Kemp. Part of Mayfesto.
✽✽ The Third Policeman Tue 25–Sat 29 May. 7.30pm.
£6.50–£14.50. Meet a mysterious protagonist with an obsession with the philosopher de Selby in this adaptation of Flann O’Brien’s 1939 novel by Blue Raincoat Theatre Company. See preview, page 82. Happy Hour Thu 27–Sat 29 May. 7.30pm. £6. A devised piece from Tron Studio taking inspiration from its bar setting.
Edinburgh
■ BRUNTON THEATRE Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. The Terrific Adventures of Brave Joan Woodsword Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings. Whisky Kisses Tue 18 May. 7.30pm. £15. Musical comedy concerning two whisky collectors competing for a fabled malt whisky, from the company that brought us The Accidental Death of an Accordionist. Music, Song and Dance Fri 21 & Sat 22 May. 7.30pm. £7 (£6.50; children £4). Songs from the shows, Irish dancing and pop songs from the Musselburgh Congregational Church Junior Choir. Alpha Dance Academy Mon 24–Sat 29 May. 7.30pm (Fri/Sat mat 2pm). £10 (£8). Annual showcase of dance, including ballet, tap and jazz, from pupils at the Alpha Dance Academy. ■ CHURCH HILL THEATRE 33a Morningside Road, 529 4147. One Thousand Paper Cranes Sat 15 & Sun 16 May. See Kids listings. The Cemetery Club Until 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. Cash on Delivery Wed 19–Sat 22 May. 7.30pm. £9 (£7). A riotous farce about the perils of cheating the DSS from Edinburgh People’s Theatre. In Theatre Mon 24 May. 7.30pm. £15.50 (£12.50). Deviant doctors Adam Kay and Suman Biswas (aka Amateur Transplants) present their risqué cabaret. Ages 16+.
■ FESTIVAL THEATRE 13/29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000.
✽✽ Random Dance: Entity Tue 18 & Wed 19 May. 7.30pm.
£11.50–£21.50. Random Dance complements the physical form with lights, technology and film against a soundscape by Jon Hopkins and Joby Talbot. See preview, page 82.
✽✽ Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker Fri 21 & Sat 22 May. 8pm. £11.50–£21.50. A new work, Cruel, from Deborah Colker’s Brazilian dancers. See preview, page 82. Girls’ Night Out Tue 25–Sat 29 May. 7.30pm; 5pm & 8pm. £17.50–£22.50. Slip into the oiled-up world of male dancers from the perspectives of Tony and his troupe, and Jane on her hen night who will be lucky enough to sample their performance.
■ THE GRV 37 Guthrie Street, 220 2987.
✽✽ Suspicious Minds Tue 25–Sat 29 May. 8pm. £6. Siege Perilous performs a new work by Caroline Dunford about the mysterious death of an Elvis fan. See preview, above.
■ NORTH EDINBURGH ARTS CENTRE 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Woodbeat Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings.
■ PLAYHOUSE 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 847 1660. Les Misérables ●●●●● Until Sat 15 May. 7.30pm (Thu & Sat mat 2.30pm). £24–£48.50. Famous musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel about French poverty against the backdrop of the Battle of Waterloo and the tragic hero Jean Valjean. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Tue 18 May–Sat 5 Jun (not Sun). 7.30pm (Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm). £15–£39.50. The much-heralded stage version of the popular family film, in a production that has been nominated for a host of awards in its four-year tour. Boo at the Child Catcher and sing along with all those classic songs. ■ THE QUEEN’S HALL 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. Tonight’s The Night Fri 21 May. 7.30pm. £10. A trip through the musicals from Guys and Dolls to Legally Blonde featuring Marcella Holmes and Andrew Gowland.
■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Mister Porcelain Fri 14–Sun 16 May. See Kids listings. ■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848. Blue Hen Thu 13–Sat 15 May. 7.45pm. £15 (£10–£12). See Glasgow, Eastwood Park Theatre. Macbeth (Verdi) Wed 26–Sat 29 May. 7.30pm. £10–£25. Edinburgh Grand Opera performs Verdi’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Scottish play; a tale of ambition, witches, power and glory.
■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Cinderella Until Sat 15 May (not Thu). See Kids listings. Sense Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings.
Theatre
PREVIEW NEW PLAY SUSPICIOUS MINDS The GRV, Edinburgh, Tue 25–Sat 29 May
It may be 33 years since Elvis shuffled off his mortal coil, but his sequinned spirit lives on, making regular appearances in theatre, film and cabaret. The King haunts the latest piece of new writing brought to the stage by Edinburgh-based theatre company Siege Perilous. Suspicious Minds, by emerging writer Caroline Dunford, focuses on the tangled personalities of four friends, moving between past and present to explore the notion that who we are as adults is shaped by who we were as children. Dunford, who is a member of the Crime Writers Association, has spun her yarn in the form of a mystery, and with sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and the death of a life-long Elvis fan thrown into the mix for good measure, a compelling night of theatre is on the cards. The play marks the culmination of a successful launch year for Siege Perilous.
Having staged a number of well-received plays in 2009, the company has received the boost of a funding award from Arts & Business. It couldn’t have come at a better time in the company’s development, according to artistic director Andy Corelli. ‘It will enable the company to put on a programme of five shows this year and help sustain low ticket prices to encourage a wider cross section of the community to see live theatre,’ he says. (Allan Radcliffe)
■ ST BRIDE’S CENTRE 10 Orwell Terrace, 346 1405.
✽✽ Love & Human Remains Thu 20–Sat 22 May. 7.30pm. £7.50. A
new show from Edinburgh’s LGBT theatre company. See preview, page 60.
■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404. The Sun, the Moon and a Boy Called River Until Sun 16 May. See Kids listings. Madcap Thu 13–Sat 15 May. See Kids listings. Martha Fri 14–Sun 16 May. See Kids listings. Platform 18: The Arches New Work Award Thu 20–Sun 23 May. 7.15pm; 6pm. £13–£16 (£5–£12). Double-bill of the two award-winning production of the annual prize for emergent directors: How Soon is Nigh? from performer/director Gary McNair and Hand Me Down from Glas(s) Performance. Outside the Cities
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530.
✽✽ Sweeney Todd – the Musical Wed 19 May–Sat 12 Jun (not
Sun/Mon). 7.30pm (Thu 27 May, Sat 29 May, Thu 3 Jun, Sat 5 Jun, Thu 10 Jun & Sat 12 Jun mat 2.30pm). £14–£23 (£5–£21; preview nights 19-21 May all tickets £12). Dundee Rep Ensemble presents the gory tale of Sweeney and his wayward razor in a more humorous light. See preview, page 81.
■ PERTH CONCERT HALL Mill Street, Perth, 01738 621031. Bat the Symphony Thu 13 May. 7.30pm. £20–£27.50. A tribute to the music of Meat Loaf from Steve Steinman with full live orchestra.
■ PERTH THEATRE 185 High Street, Perth, 01738 621031. Whisky Kisses Fri 14 May. 7.45pm. £10–£14 (£7–£12). See Edinburgh, Brunton Theatre. Don Pasquale Thu 20 May. 7.30pm. £14–£33.50. New English language production of this operatic comedy by William Oldroyd and Anges Treplin, with Dominic Wheeler conducting. Part of Perth Festival of the Arts. The Marriage of Figaro Fri 21 May. 7.30pm. £14–£33.50. English Touring Opera presents James Conway’s production of Mozart’s much loved tragi-comedy, sung in English. Figaro, manservant to the conniving Count Almaviva, must overcome the many obstacles put into his path by his employer before he can marry his beloved, Susanna. Part of Perth Festival of the Arts. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Sat 22 May. 7.30pm. £14–£33.50. English Touring Opera reprises its magical, lusciously staged 2004 production of the Britten/Shakespeare masterpiece. Part of Perth Festival of the Arts. Animal Farm Sun 23 May. 7.30pm. £6–£14. Solo performance of Orwell’s magnificent satire by accomplished actor Gary Shelford. Martha Wed 26 May. 1.45pm. £3. Catherine Wheels returns with the tale of stubborn Martha, who lives by the sea all on her own. She reckons she doesn’t need any friends, until one day she has an unexpected visitor who changes her life forever. Ages 4+. Part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival 2010. Flanders and Swann Thu 27 May. 7.30pm. £9–£19. Tim Fitzhigham and Duncan Walsh Atkins pay homage to stars of musical comedy revue Flanders and Swann, putting their own spin on classics such as ‘The Gnu Song’. Part of Perth Festival of the Arts. 13–27 May 2010 THE LIST 87