THEATRE FILM
BOOKS
BEST OF 2011
1 THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART The story of the overly curious girl/boy who encounters the Devil is as old as theatre itself, but David Greig’s inspired play-cum-ceilidh brought a dynamic twist to the Border Ballad form. Touring pubs around the country and fusing a witty script with traditional music and karaoke, the show was the perfect winter warmer, repeating its success at the Edinburgh Fringe. NTS, touring, Feb; Edinburgh Fringe, Aug.
2 I HOPE MY HEART GOES FIRST A startling riposte to all those who go out of their way to avoid theatre productions by teenagers, Junction 25’s I Hope My Heart Goes First won the company an enthusiastic new audience with its insightful exploration of the growing up process, taking knowing swipes at the clichés from film and music that get in the way of how we really feel. Junction 25, Edinburgh Fringe, Aug.
3 KNIVES IN HENS Lies Pauwels’ revival of David Harrower’s three hander for the National Theatre of Scotland was one of those adaptations that split the critics down the middle. The List was firmly in the ‘love-it’ camp, reckoning Pauwels’ heavily stylised version of the play about a woman’s sexual awakening and transition to literacy was bold and exhilarating. NTS, touring, Jun/Jul.
4 A SLOW AIR
Harrower again, this time with a new play that debuted at the Arches’ Mayfesto strand. A Slow Air revolves around a pair of duelling monologues from a brother and sister debilitated by their unwillingness to bury a long- festering feud. The piece spoke volumes about Scottish identity with a couple of razor-sharp character studies at its heart. Arches, Glasgow & Traverse, Edinburgh, May/Aug.
5 THE AGE OF AROUSAL An adaptation of a turgid George Gissing novel set in the early days of female emancipation doesn’t sound like the most promising night out. But Stellar Quines’ production of Linda Griffiths’ play about an ageing suffragette’s attempt to liberate a group of impoverished women through touch- typing was stylishly conceived and entertaining with great performances. Stellar Quines/Royal Lyceum, touring, Apr.
1 TINKER, TAILOR, SOLIDER, SPY Starring a firmament of male British character actors, this taut, sparse and moody le Carré adaptation, directed by Swede Tomas ‘Let The Right One In’ Alfredson, is an incredibly stylish orange-tinged 70s package (yet not a flare in sight?). Ditched spy chief Gary Oldman, as George Smiley, is brought back into the service to find a mole, anunicating his way back into Hollywood’s top flight of actors in the process.
2 DRIVE
Ryan Gosling. For some his presence alone is enough to guarantee a film ‘favourite’ status. The man who has mastered the art of the hang-dog expression shines as the seemingly immortal stunt/getaway driver who finds himself on a moral mission. But that’s not all there is to love about director Nicholas Winding Refn’s homage to glossy 80s cinema. There’s also some a pulsing synth-pop soundtrack.
3 A SEPARATION Excellent Iranian film A Separation is deserving of all the accolades it receives, and not just because it’s a challenging look at some of the issues facing a troubled country’s squeezed citizens. This award-winning drama presents a myriad of moral complexities at the heart of its story of divorce, family bonds and tragic misfortune. Honest and unforgettable stuff.
4 BLACK SWAN Winona Ryder goes crazy. Vincent Cassel goes sleazy. Natalie Portman goes lesbian, then crazy. There was something for everyone in this claustrophobic body horror from Darren Aronofsky. Portman’s Oscar win for her schizophrenic performance as demure- turned-devilish ballerina Nina was the subject of some controversy (just how much of the dancing did she do?), but there was much to love here.
5 NEDS Our Hot 100 number one, Peter Mullan, directs and also acts in this tale of misspent Glasgow youth, with added street violence and hallucinogenic sequences. The plot for Neds was partly based on Mullan’s own experiences in gang the Young Car-Ds. A coming-of-age story of redemption, with subtle magical realism woven into its otherwise gritty narrative. A triumph and easily the Scottish film of the year.
1 THE CUT George Pelecanos (Orion) Every time the name ‘George Pelecanos’ is mentioned these days the words ‘The Wire’ closely follow. But the Washington writer has been knocking out quality crime novels long before his involvement on the HBO show. The Cut was a five-star noirish affair brilliantly portraying the return to DC of an Iraq veteran.
2 THERE BUT FOR THE Ali Smith (Picador) Smith’s wonderful latest novel opened with a man trapping himself in someone else’s bathroom during a dinner party before unwittingly becoming a tabloid cause célèbre. The knock-on effects of his story are felt through the vivid tales of three other individuals.
3 GILLESPIE AND I Jane Harris (Faber and Faber) The author of The Observations delivered an exquisite second novel whose narrator reflected upon her time in the Glasgow of the 1880s and the consequences of meeting her ‘soulmate’, the painter Ned Gillespie.
4 OURS ARE THE STREETS Sunjeev Sahota (Picador) One of the top debuts of the year as Sunjeev Sahota gave us a non- judgmental peer into the mind of a would be suicide bomber planning an assault on Sheffield. Behind the dramatic action though stirred a moving family drama.
5 THE SENSE OF AN ENDING Julian Barnes (Jonathan Cape) This year’s Booker winner from Barnes was, at 150 pages, the second shortest book to have scooped the prize, a delicately plotted and layered drama about how our memory can play terrible tricks on us.
FOR OUR COMEDY SHOWS, CLUBS, SONGS AND GIGS OF THE YEAR SEE COMEDY, CLUBS AND MUSIC LISTINGS PAGES. 15 Dec 2011–5 Jan 2012 THE LIST 45