L L E R R A F W E R D
Theatre
✽✽ Staircase Wed 23 Feb–Sat 5 Mar (not Sun/Mon) 7.45pm. £11 (£7). An evening of camp and bitchy banter between a couple of barbers turns sour as the night gets darker and the jibes ever more pointed in Charles Dyer’s 60s-set play. This Scottish première from the Tron Theatre Company is the first staging of the play since its successful Broadway run of 1968. See preview, page 61. A Scheme Thu 24–Sat 26 Feb 8pm. £9 (£7). Two brand new one-act plays set on a Glaswegian housing scheme, written by Lynsey Murdoch and Mark MacNicol and produced by their brand new production company, Tiny Door. Supper Club Cabaret Thu 24 & Fri 25 Feb 8.30pm. £10. Cabaret evening from Upstage with food included in admission. The Belief Project Wed 2–Sat 5 Mar 8pm. £9 (£7). The Glasgow based collective who run monthly performance night Initial Itch at the 13th Note return to the Tron with a show about how some widely differing characters are defined by their beliefs. See preview, page 84.
EDINBURGH
■ ART’S COMPLEX St. Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, 661 1924. FREE Art’s Complex Performance Night Sat 26 Feb 6.30pm. The inaugural performance night at the studio and gallery space sees a solo performance from Donata Kiaunyte entitled Little Mountain exploring time as a universal condition. Artists Lara Luna Bartley and Blanca Gallego will explore language and symbolism in their performance, and Simon Hill presents a music performance piece that explores the search for a unique sound. ■ BEDLAM THEATRE 11b Bristo Place, 225 9893. A Dream Play Thu 17 Feb 2.30pm. £4 (£3.50). Student production of Strindberg’s pre-surrealist drama about a goddess who descends to earth and is shocked by the sufferings and behaviour of humans. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Tue 22–Sat 26 Feb 7.30pm. £5 (£4.50). Student production of the CS Lewis classic in which four bored children discover a magical and dangerous land on the other side of the wardrobe. The Cherry Orchard Wed 2 Mar 2.30pm. £4 (£3.50). Edinburgh University Theatre Company takes on Chekhov’s emotionally turbulent final play.
■ BRUNTON THEATRE Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. Double Take Thu 17 Feb 7.30pm. £10.50 (£8.50; under 18s £6). A double bill exploring the impact of Bawren Tavaziva on the British contemporary dance scene. Is It Murder Sat 19 Feb 7.30pm. £6 (family ticket £22). There’s been a murder at Noir Manor and Brunton Youth Theatre are hot on the trail of the killer. ✽✽ Smalltown Fri 25 Feb 7.30pm. £11 (£9; under 18s £6). See Tron Theatre, Glasgow.
■ CHURCH HILL THEATRE 33a Morningside Road, 529 4147. Gypsy Thu 17–Sat 19 Feb 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £10–£15. Classic Hollywood musical about the life of legendary entertainer Gyspy Rose Lee, presented by Tempo Music Productions.
■ GHILLIE DHU 2 Rutland Place, 222 9930. The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart Mon 21 & Tue 22 Feb 7.30pm. £12. See Tron Theatre, Glasgow. See review, above. ■ EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. Rambert Dance Company: Awakenings Tour Thu 17 & Fri 18 Feb 7.30pm. £11.50–£22.50. Britain’s flagship contemporary dance company returns with
86 THE LIST 17 Feb–3 Mar 2011
summoned to a job interview in an abandoned warehouse, but what’s really going on, and what do they all have in common? New drama from That’s Lunch Productions.
■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404. A Play, A Pie & A Pint: The Company Will Overlook a Moment of Madness Thu 17–Sat 19 Feb 1pm. £12. A man is sent for psychological assessment following a violent incident at the factory where he has worked all of his life in this translation of a play by Venezuelan playwright Rodolfo Santana. Ticket price includes a pie and drink. A Play, A Pie & A Pint: The Archivist and Instructions for Butterfly Collectors Tue 22–Sat 26 Feb 1pm. £12. See Òran Mór, Glasgow. The Art of Laughter Thu 24 Feb 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Actor and founding member of Complicite theatre company Jos Houben presents his witty dissection of physical comedy in a show that is part lecture, part performance. Part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Diaspora. Virginia Sat 26 Feb 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Contemporary dance from Argentina, performed by Melina Seldes with video and music accompaniment. Part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Diaspora. A Play, A Pie and a Pint: Four Parts Broken Tue 1–Sat 5 Mar 1pm. £12. See Òran Mór, Glasgow. National Theatre of Scotland: Works in Progress Wed 2 & Fri 4 Mar 7pm; Thu 3 & Sat 5 Mar 8pm. £6 (£4). The National Theatre of Scotland presents Molly Taylor’s one-woman show Love Letters to the Public Transport System and Gary McNair’s exploration of the political systems we are born into and bound to accept (or not), Count Me In.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES ■ BYRE THEATRE Abbey Street, St Andrews, 01334 475000. Translations Thu 17 Feb 7.30pm. £6. Driaochta Theatre presents its take on Brian Friel’s best-loved play; part scathing critique of colonisation, part tender love story. Singin’ I’m No a Billy He’s a Tim Sat 19 Feb 7.30pm. £14 (£8–£12). Des Dillon’s classic anti-sectarian play has two Rangers and Celtic fans locked up together in a cell for the duration of an Old Firm match.
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530. ✽✽ The Rise and Fall of Little Voice Mon 28 Feb–Sat 19 Mar (not Sun/Mon) 7.30pm (Thu 10, Sat 12 & Sat 19 Mar mat 2.30pm). £12–£19. A production of Jim Cartwright’s hit play about a young woman who discovers she can mimic the voices of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century. See preview, page 84.
■ PAISLEY ARTS CENTRE New Street, Paisley, 887 1010. Singin’ I’m No a Billy He’s a Tim Thu 17 Feb 7.30pm. £14 (£13). See Byre Theatre, St Andrews. ✽✽ Smalltown Wed 23 Feb 7.30pm. Glasgow. £10 (£6). See Tron Theatre,
■ PERTH CONCERT HALL Mill Street, Perth, 01738 621031. Romeo and Juliet Fri 18 Feb 7.30pm. £14 (£10). Ballet West brings the star- crossed lovers to life in this powerful re- telling of Shakespeare’s greatest romance. ■ PERTH THEATRE 185 High Street, Perth, 01738 621031. Death of a Salesman Until Sat 26 Feb (not Sun/Mon) 7.45pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £14.50–£18 (£10.50–£12.50). The classic play by Arthur Miller tells the story of a travelling salesman who returns from an unsuccessful business trip full of doubts about the direction his life has taken.
REVIEW NEW WORK THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART Ghillie Dhu, Edinburgh, Mon 21 & Tue 22 Feb, then touring. Seen at Owen’s Bar, Coatbridge, Fri 11 Feb ●●●●●
The legend of the ‘teind’ or tribute paid by the fairy folk to the Devil every seven years is as old as the Southern Uplands and recounted in numerous Scottish Border Ballads, including the eerie ‘Tam Lin’. Playwright David Greig here pays homage to the legend with his own Border Ballad, which is shot through with contemporary cultural references to The X Factor, Kylie Minogue and Katy Perry and fuses karaoke with ceilidh music. The story revolves around Madeleine Worrall’s prim academic, who
wanders off into the snow one midwinter’s night and ends up in the embrace of Satan himself (a laconic Dave McKay). This simple premise is greatly enhanced by the mix of contemporary and traditional influences in the text and its surrounding atmospherics. Greig’s witty, irreverent, often bawdy rhyming couplets are delivered with panache by the five-strong ensemble whose energetic playing of flutes, whistles, fiddle and guitars provides a wonderfully festive backdrop to the action.
While one or two of the performances are a little rough-edged and the story itself rather anti-climactic, these gripes fade to insignificance against the overall experience of seeing this dynamic, amusing romp in an authentic pub setting. (Allan Radcliffe)
a new touring show, promising the eponymous new work (inspired by Dr Oliver Sacks’ book of the same name), as well as ‘Monolith’ by Tim Rushton and the Scottish premiere of Henrietta Horn’s ‘Cardoon Club’. The Blues Brothers Party Tue 22–Sat 26 Feb 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £18.50–£24.50. Grab your hat and shades for a foot stompin’ evening in the company of Jake and Elwood. ■ KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. Fiddler on the Roof Thu 17–Sat 19 Feb 7.30pm (Sat mat, 2.30pm). £13–£18 (£10–£14). Southern Light Opera presents the popular musical that contains such tunes as ‘If I Were a Rich Man’ and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’. ✽✽ The Comedy of Errors Tue 22, Thu 24 & Sat 26 Feb 7.30pm. £14.50–£27.50. All-male company Propellor Theatre performs Shakespeare’s earliest comedy. ✽✽ Richard III Wed 23 & Fri 25 Feb 7.30pm; Thu 24 & Sat 26 Feb 2pm. £14.50–£27.50. Ed Hall’s all-male company Propellor takes on the bloody history of the scheming hunchback (or possibly not) who would stop at nothing to get the crown. See preview, page 84. The Haunting Mon 28 Feb–Sat 5 Mar 7.30pm (Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm). £14.50–£27.50. Charlie Clemens (of Eastenders fame) stars in this ghostly adaptation of a tale by Dickens.
■ PLAYHOUSE 18-22 Greenside Place, 0844 847 1660. The Circus of Horrors: The Four Chapters From Hell Mon 21 Feb 7.30pm. £13–£27. Step back to the 1900s and indulge your most morbid curiosities with this recreated freak show and horror fest.
Sally Morgan Tue 1 Mar 7.30pm. £25.25. Psychic demonstration. The Chippendales Thu 3 Mar 7.30pm. £25.75–£29.75. The greasy hunks are back to showcase their buffness with a new pec- rippling show: Most Wanted. ■ THE PLEASANCE THEATRE 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Thu 17–Sat 19 Feb 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company premières an innovative new take on this classic love comedy, combining energetic physical theatre and intricate soundscaping.
■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848. ✽✽ Age of Arousal Fri 18 Feb–Sat 12 Mar (not Sun/Mon) 7.45pm (Wed 23 & Sat 26 Feb, Wed 2, Sat 5 & Sat 12 Mar mat 2.30pm). £11–£28 (£5–£26). The UK première of the latest production from the Stellar Quines Theatre Company, based on the stories of five Victorian women coming to terms with a sexual and moral revolution. See preview, page 81. ■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. The Old Woman Who Lived in a . . . Thu 24–Sat 26 Feb 7.30pm (Sat mat 3.30pm). £10 (£7). Whatever happened to the poor children of the old woman who lived in a shoe? This modern retelling of the slightly suspicious nursery rhyme meets them – now grown up – in the Café of No Tomorrows, as they confront their feelings about the Old Woman. Ages 12+.
■ THE STORE 37 Guthrie Street, 220 2987. Robin Red Breast Thu 24–Sat 26 Feb 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Three men are