Theatre
PREVIEW ADAPTATION SUGAR – SOME LIKE IT HOT Gilmorehill, Glasgow, Wed 16–Sat 19 Jun
Among the mighty pantheon of Christmas holiday movies in our culture, surely that favourite among standbys, Some Like It Hot, stands out as exceptional. Already designated the favourite all-time film comedy in one of those perpetual Channel 4 lists that occupy hours of Saturday airtime, there can be little doubt that any company choosing to mount a theatre version will finish with an expanded bank account that is rare for our times. This seems surprising, given that the piece itself, underneath all the fun of seeing Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis drag up and join a girl band in order to avoid gangland recriminations has, in its deep text, enough to upset not so much applecarts as whole green groceries in terms of its interrogation of gender and sexuality. Still, director David Lee Michael is hoping that the pure entertainment value of the piece will be to the fore in this new production collaborating with students from Langside college. ‘You don‘t get that title of “favourite comedy of all time” without those moral
issues behind it still being worthwhile, and still worthy of examination. That said, I can’t imagine it challenging a majority of the audience to ponder the state of the universe, it’s a real ripping story, and it’ll go down well I think.’
Michael has a particular theory about the source of the comedy, relating to rather specific gender misconceptions. ‘A big source of that humour is guys dressing up as women. Within the context of this piece it works brilliantly, these are men trying to be women, as opposed to cross dressing for the sake of it. They aren’t dames; that’s an entirely different theatrical tradition.
‘Their inability to completely sustain the act, those
little moments when they’re almost caught out is where the fun begins.’ He feels that the staging might well add to the cinematic effect of this piece, with projections being used to keep things fluent and create certain backdrops. ‘There’s none of those interruptions with dropping cloth and so forth that you get with scene changes. And the boys, are playing real music, with double bass and saxophone. They’ve taken to dressing as women like it’s second nature.’ (Steve Cramer)
REVIEW CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANHIA DE DANÇA DEBORAH COLKER ●●●●● Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 22 & Wed 23 Jun
There is a moment in Deborah Colker’s new creation, Cruel, which typifies the entire show. A man and woman stand on top of a giant table, feet planted firmly, eyes locked. Slowly, two athletic dancers begin to spin the wood beneath them, until it’s moving so fast, you feel sure the couple will lose their balance and fall. They don’t, of course – they just keep right on staring, before embarking on a dynamic exchange brimming with emotion.
Such moments are plentiful in Cruel, thanks to the technical proficiency and fearlessness of Colker’s dancers – and the inspired way Colker creates dance. The Brazilian choreographer is renowned for her use of set, always searching for interesting objects to share the stage with her dancers. In past productions we’ve had a Ferris wheel and climbing wall – this time she’s given us an enormous bauble- like chandelier, the aforementioned table and four large mirrors which deliver all manner of optical illusions.
Colker has always known how to please a crowd, taking contemporary dance into a realm bordering on mainstream entertainment. But Cruel is so much more than energy and theatricality. Colker’s dancers worked with an acting coach in the lead-up to this production, and it shows. The complexities of relationships and family life form the basis of Cruel, and the performers take on their roles with depth and passion. In particular, the closing smile from a dancer wearing a single pointe shoe captures our human ability to take life on – however cruel it may get. (Kelly Apter)
PREVIEW NEW WORK GENDER DIVIDE Tramway, Glasgow, Tue 22–Thu 24 Jun
If recent news reports about the numbers of teenage girls whose main ambition in life is to become a WAG are to be believed, there’s still a good way to go before we resolve the issue of the disempowerment of women. Perhaps it’s timely then, that Junction 25’s new piece should bring the views of youngsters on gender identity to the stage.
This ambitious piece involving youngsters between 12 and 18 has separated its charges into male and female groups, and spent six months asking each questions about what it means to belong to their genders. The results, co-director Jess Thorpe tells us, are sometimes surprising. ‘There’s no doubt that some of this leads to the idea that gender is a social construction, but there are complexities within that, which make that assertion less simple than it seems,’ she says. ‘It’s about their perspective – these things are by their very nature political. Now I have my perspective, but I’m 27 years old and a feminist, and these younger girls say, “well that might be your point of view, but it doesn’t work for me.” That said we’ve given them some gender theory, and this has created a situation where they’ve gone home and had some interesting conversations with their parents.’ The story is still in process, but with workshops touching on David Beckham, Cheryl Cole and the history of female emancipation played alongside a rendition of Cliff Richard’s ‘Devil Woman’, the results might well be fascinating. (Steve Cramer)
92 THE LIST 10-24 Jun 2010