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Theatre Events are listed by city, then alphabetically by venue. Submit listings at least 16 days before publication to theatre@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Laura Ennor. ✽✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
GLASGOW
■ THE ARCHES 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000. This Side of Paradise Thu 20 Oct, 7.30pm. £5 (£3). A work-in-progress from Glasgow experimental dance and physical theatre company Dudendance, combining improvisation, human puppetry, body morphing and a nightmarish film noir sensibility to tell a story of ‘flawed souls with big dreams’. The Best of Bourgeois & Maurice Fri 21 Oct, 7.30pm. £9 (£7). Filthygorgeous musical cabaret duo from London, with plenty of witty tunes and slanderous hearsay up their many and varied sparkly sleeves. Part of Glasgay! The Best of Jonny Woo Sat 22 Oct, 7.30pm. £9 (£7). The self-proclaimed queen of London’s alternative drag scene presents a range of his favourite songs and most outrageous characters in this tranny trip through his bestest bits. Part of Glasgay! Beacons Mon 24 Oct, 7.30pm. £7 (£5). An immersive audio-visual piece from Yvon Bonenfant examining our nocturnal industrial landscape. Little Johnny’s Big Gay Restaurant Performances Thu 27 Oct & Sun 6 Nov, 5.30pm. Prices vary (Madonna-themed set menu £8.95). Little Johnny performs in his Madonna- themed idyll. The 6 Nov show is a birthday special as Johnny is joined by a very special guest. Part of Glasgay! Strange Hungers Thu 27–Sat 29 Oct, 7.30pm. £9 (£7). Live art darlings Fish and Game transmorph into your hosts Claude and Maud for a lesbian history lesson-cum-freakshow. Part of Glasgay! Home Run Tue 1 & Wed 2 Nov, 7.30pm. £7 (£5). A one-woman show about hopes and dreams, written and performed by Lisa Nicoll. Crossing the Lines Thu 3 Nov, 7.30pm. £3.50 (includes glass of wine). The Arches and Playwrights’ Studio present a new night of text-based theatre performance. Cabaret Chordelia Tue 8 Nov–Thu 10 Nov, 7.30pm. £9 (£7). Company Chordelia makes a song and dance about 1930s Berlin in this sumptuous cabaret that includes everything from high kicks to torch songs. Part of Glasgay! La Nuite Intime Mon 14 Nov, 7.30pm. £12 (£9). A revival of Liv Lorent’s nocturnal fantasy, in which vulnerability and eroticism combine to tell an intimate, hazy tale. ■ BRITANNIA PANOPTICON MUSIC HALL 113–117 Trongate, 553 0840. Music Hall Memories Sat 29 & Sun 30 Oct, 1pm & 3pm. By donation. Re- live the Music Hall days with this variety show.
■ THE BRUNSWICK HOTEL 106–108 Brunswick Street, 552 1552. Billy Budd Sailor Tue 1 & Wed 2 Nov, 7.30pm & 9pml; Thu 3 & Fri 4 Nov, 7pm, 8.15pm & 9.30pm. £9 (£7). As a contemporary narrator in a hotel bathroom tells a story of obsession on the high seas, the parallels between Herman Melville’s story and his own life become ever clearer in this award- winning production from Theatre North. Part of Glasgay!
■ CASTLEMILK COMMUNITY CENTRE 121 Castlemilk Drive. Truant Mon 14 Nov, 7pm. £4 (£2). A co-production from the National Theatre of Scotland and Company of Angels, this Glasgow-set story explores relationships
114 THE LIST 20 Oct–17 Nov 2011
REVIEW NEW PLAY CALUM’S ROAD Currently touring throughout Scotland. Seen at Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 5 Oct ●●●●●
Calum MacLeod claims not to remember when he started the road. Exasperated at the council’s refusal to connect his home, in the hamlet of Arnish on the Isle of Rasaay, with the rest of the island, he picked up a shovel and did it himself. It could have been any time between 1963 and 1967. He may, his outraged wife tells the audience, have misled Magnus Magnusson on the subject.
It’s a true story and David Harrower’s adaptation of Roger Hutchinson’s book mixes direct narration and a chopped up timeframe to dramatise Calum’s grand, and ultimately futile gesture. Gerry Mulgrew’s direction feels a little clunky, mixing Communicado’s once-innovative theatre-from-the-back- of-a-van style with modern video, while the cast skip about the stage, battering home the point that a remote community needs more than a single track road to survive.
Thanks to John McGeoch’s flowing filmed backdrop the production looks great, with maps, old photographs and mobile phone snaps adding visual richness and humour to a set consisting of various camouflage-splodged boxes. Iain Macrae works hard as the Stakhanovite Calum, digging on through the decades, turning his back on the other families who are leaving Arnish one by one. Alasdair Macrae’s score keeps up the pace and young Scott Fletcher, a veteran of Gary, Tank Commander, is adorably gormless as the daft teenager Alex, rediscovering his Rasaay roots. But like the road itself, it all feels a little too late. (Anna Burnside)
between teenagers and adults, and what happens when it’s the adults that go AWOL from their responsibilities. Tickets for all performances available via the Tron Theatre box office: 552 4267.
■ CITIZENS THEATRE 119 Gorbals Street, 429 0022.
✽✽ A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Until Sat 12 Nov (not
Sun/Mon), 7.30pm (Sat 5 Nov mat 2.30pm). £12.50–£18 (£8–£15; previews Wed 19 & Thu 20 Oct, all tickets £5; Tuesdays all tickets £10). A poignant comedy about a harassed couple who confide in the audience with jokes and rituals. Presented by the Citizens Company. Gothic Thu 20–Sat 22 Oct, 7.30pm & 9.30pm. £8 (£5). The Citz’ own Young Company presents its take on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe – the original (and best) spine-chillers. FREE The Courage to Dream Thu 20 Oct, 7.30pm. The results of Solar Bear’s groundbreaking Therapeutic Theatre workshopping process. Aimed at people who work in or who access mental health services. Part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Ch Ch Changes Tue 25 Oct–Sat 12 Nov (not Sun/Mon), 7.30pm. £12.50 (£8–£9.50; Tue 25 Oct preview, all tickets £5; other Tuesdays all tickets £10). Herald Angel award-winner Grant Smeaton performs a one-man show, written by Martin O’Connor, that explores the sexuality of five different men. Part of Glasgay. See Stage
Whispers, page 109. Spain Tue 25 Oct–Sat 12 Nov (not Sun/Mon), 7.30pm. £12.50 (£8–£9.50; Tue 25 Oct preview, all tickets £5; other Tuesdays all tickets £10). World premiere of a new play by James Ley, about an ex-pat Scot whose promiscuous life is thrown into existential crisis by a memento of his past life. Part of Glasgay. ■ CORINTHIAN 191 Ingram Street, 552 1101. Midweek Magic Wednesdays until 23 Nov, 7.30pm. £10. Douglas Cameron performs feats of mind reading, illusion, and conjuring. Over 18s only.
■ COTTIER THEATRE 93–95 Hyndland Street. Booking contacts vary, see individual event listings for details. Shining Souls Fri 21–Sat 22 Oct, 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £10 (£8). Chris Hannan’s unique play set on the streets of Glasgow. Bookings via 07710 542955.
✽✽ Miranda Sun 23 Oct, 7.30pm. £12 (£10). Psychological thriller about a
spoilt young girl who suddenly finds herself in an abandoned and house and not altogether alone. A new work choreographed and directed by Kally Lloyd-Jones, presented by Company Chordelia. Bookings via 0844 481 8898. See preview, page 112. Acorn Antiques Tue 1 Nov–Sat 5 Nov, 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £15. Raenbow Productions bring Victoria Woods’ creaky soap opera to the stage. Bookings via
anne@raenbowproductions.com. The Crucible Fri 11–Sat 19 Nov (not Sun), 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £12 (£10). Arthur Miller’s classic tale set among the Salem witch trials is presented by Strathclyde Theatre Group. Bookings via stgtickets@hotmail.co.uk. ■ CRANHILL DEVELOPMENT TRUST 109 Bellrock Street, 774 3344. Truant Fri 11 Nov, 7pm. £4 (£2). See Castlemilk Community Centre, Glasgow.
■ EASTWOOD PARK THEATRE Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, 577 4970. Lovers – Winners and Losers Wed 26–Sat 29 Oct, 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £8–£10. A pair of short plays about love and its consequences, written by Brian Friel and performed by the Giffnock Theatre Players.
✽✽ Kes ●●●●● Thu 3 Nov, 7.30pm. £7 (£5). Sensitive adaptation by
Catherine Wheels of Barry Hines’ novel. A Night at the Musicals Fri 4 Nov, 7.30pm. £12 (£10; students £8). Non- stop hits from the shows. Calum’s Road ●●●●● Fri 11 Nov, 7.30pm. £12 (£10; students £8). A new piece from the National Theatre of Scotland and Communicado Theatre Company: David Harrower’s take on the true tale of a man on the Isle of Skye who, faced with council indifference to his remote village’s isolated plight, decided to build a two-mile stretch of road himself. See review, left. ■ THE FLYING DUCK 142 Renfield Street, 564 1450. Hamlet vs Zombies Mon 31 Oct, 6pm & 7.30pm. £6. ‘Alas, poor Yorick, they ate him’ – is the tagline for this suitably seasonal twist on Shakesepeare’s most famous tragedy. King Claudius has released a virus (which explains why something is rotten in the state of Denmark) and there’s only one man can stop it.
■ HUTCHESONS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL 21 Beaton Road Pollokshields. Truant Sat 12 Nov, 2.30pm & 7pm. £4 (£2). See Castlemilk Community Centre, Glasgow. ■ JORDANHILL PARISH CHURCH 28 Woodend Drive. Truant Sat 5 Nov, 2.30pm & 7pm. £4 (£2). See Castlemilk Community Centre, Glasgow.
■ KING’S THEATRE 297 Bath Street, 0844 871 7648. Dirty Dancing Until Sat 12 Nov (not Sun), Mon–Thu 7.30pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £12.35–£79.50. See Baby not put in the corner in the musical based on the late Patrick Swayze’s popular film. Beauty and the Beast Tue 15–Sat 19 Nov, 7.30pm (except Fri, 5.30pm & 8.30pm; plus Wed mat 11am & Sat mat 2.30pm). £12.50–£27.50. Pantheon present the stage adaptation of Disney’s much-loved animated film.
■ MARYHILL BURGH HALLS 10–24 Gairbraid Avenue. Truant Wed 16 Nov, 7pm. £4 (£2). See Castlemilk Community Centre, Glasgow. ■ MITCHELL THEATRE 6 Granville Street, 287 2999. Asere: On My Mind Wed 26 Oct, 2.30pm; Thu 27 & Fri 28 Oct, 8.30pm. £12 (£10; Wed 26 Oct open rehearsal matinee, tickets £5/£4). The Descarga Dance Company tell the story of a man exploring his history as he moves to Europe in search of a new life. Combines contemporary African dance, classical ballet, street dance and western/southern African folklore.