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Stage WHISPERS JOHN BETT WRITER/DIRECTOR, PARA HANDY
Have you always been a fan of the Para Handy stories? My Skye granny was an inveterate haunter of provincial auction houses and would often return home with baskets of books. One day a little volume fell off the shelf. Battered and faintly mildewed, it held small promise but it was through its pages that I first shook hands with the Master Mariner himself, the crafty Para Handy, and his shifty crew. I found the stories funny and delightful, ate them up and soon, like Oliver Twist, was asking for more. Why have Neil Munro’s stories endured? Revisiting these stories 50 years later, I was pleased to discover that their charm had not evaporated, that they still appeared fresh and newly minted and, most importantly of all, that they were still funny! That this is the case is due to Munro’s inventive talent, observational skills and sly sense of humour. Did you take any inspiration from the previous TV adaptations? Of course. For Scots of a certain age, the name Vital Spark means one thing and one thing only – a television series, shot in half-hour episodes, in black and white, and featuring a role call of Scotland’s finest acting talent. The programmes were wonderful and I salute them. I am not trying to compete with them. What I am trying to do is find new ways of telling Munro’s stories. At several points in the evening two screens will show film footage shot in the early part of the 20th century by amateur enthusiasts and gathered with love and care by the Scottish Film Archive. These clips provided a unique passport into the vanished world of the tales. I want to subvert an audience’s expectations. I wish to surprise and delight them, give them, as the late, great John MacGrath would have said, ‘a good night out’. ■ Para Handy, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 4–Sat 8 Oct; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Thu 13–Sat 15 Oct.
22 Sep–20 Oct 2011 THE LIST 103
Saturday Night In this follow-up to the celebrated Interiors, which presented the innermost secrets of a group of guests at a dinner party, theatrical innovators Vanishing Point encourage audiences to snoop on the goings-on in three different rooms of a house. See preview, page 106. Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 7–Sat 15 Oct, and on tour.
Scottish Ballet Autumn double- bill featuring Pennies From Heaven, choreographed by Ashley Page, and Jorma Elo’s Kings 2 Ends. See Q & A, page 108. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 29 Sep-Sat 1 Oct. Kes Catherine Wheels adapts Barry Hines’ novel about a neglected boy and his kestrel. See review, page 104. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 29 Sep–Sat 1 Oct, and on tour.
Wayne McGregor / Random Dance: Far A work for ten dancers inspired by the Age of Enlightenment. See preview, page 108. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 4 & Wed 5 Oct.
The Salon Project Immersive theatre piece that transforms the Traverse main stage into an opulent 19th century salon. See preview, page 104. and Big Pic, page 11. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Mon 10–Sat 22 Oct. Days of Wine and Roses Theatre Jezebel stages Owen McCaffrye’s 2005 adaptation of this dark tale of dependency in 60s London. See preview, page 104. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 14–Sat 29 Oct.
The Missing Andrew O’Hagan adapts his own non-fiction work, which humanely contemplates the issue of missing people in the British Isles. See review, page 110. Tramway, Glasgow, until Sat 1 Oct. Men Should Weep Ena Lamont Stewart’s classic, set in the depths of the 1930s depression is revived by National Theatre of Scotland. See review, page 104. Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 8 Oct.
Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off New production of Liz Lochhead’s oft-revived play, by the Royal Lyceum and Dundee Rep. See review, page 111. Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until Sat 15 Oct.
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Revival of Peter Nichols’ bitersweet comedy, which premiered at the Citz in 1969. See preview, page 106. Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 19 Oct–Sat 12 Nov.