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PREVIEW NEW PLAY AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE WICKER MAN Macrobert, Stirling, Sat 18 Feb; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 28 Feb–Sat 3 Mar and touring throughout Scotland
‘There are many films that people would love to see adapted cleanly onto the stage,’ says Greg Hemphill, and if current trends are anything to go by, he looks to be right, ‘but when we discussed it with Vicky [Featherstone, National Theatre of Scotland director] right at the beginning of this process, we said The Wicker Man probably wouldn’t be one of them, because it’s all about that shocking ending.’ Instead, the Chewin’ the Fat writer and actor, alongside co-
writer Donald McLeary, chose to make Robin Hardy’s 1973 masterpiece of creeping dread the play within their play. And their play, as it happens, tells of the Loch Parry Players and their own, somewhat shambolic stage version of the film, thrown into further disarray when their lead actor goes missing in strange circumstances.
While the idea of a remote community gone rogue may be a
bit of a stretch in an age where even the Loch Parry Players techie is tweeting from rehearsals (@LochParryPlayer), Hemphill maintains that the story still has the power to unnerve, as the cast and crew discovered when re-watching the film in rehearsals. ‘It is very sexual, all that paganism and whatnot, so people were tittering all the way through, but in the last half-hour when Howie gets sent on his one-way journey, we were all sat there in total silence.’
Having re-injected a familiar story with a shot of mystery, the cast, led by Hemphill with Johnny McKnight and Jimmy Chisholm, are promising a fun, tender homage to a film which Hemphill reckons has transcended the label of ‘cult’ to become ‘a bona fide classic’. And even if a classic film wasn’t quite what the National Theatre of Scotland’s detractors had in mind when they called for the company to stage more classics, they surely won’t be able to argue with its power to pull audiences, as Hemphill attests. ‘The argument about what they’re doing is largely irrelevant, because their number one agenda is to bring people to the theatre and I think they’re doing that really, really successfully.’ (Laura Ennor)
T T E V O L Y T R A G E H Y D U J
PREVIEW NEW PLAY PASSING THROUGH Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Fri 10 & Sat 11 Feb; Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 22–Sat 25 Feb and on tour
Striking out on your own can be tough. But for actor Philip Kingscott, who set up Peapod Productions in 2010, the gamble has paid off. Last year’s touring production The Garden was a five-star success, leading Kingscott to commission a new play from its writer, Alistair Rutherford. ‘Alistair’s work is so much fun to do,’ he says. ‘The dialogue is so natural, you know a lot of work has gone into it but it never sounds forced.’ Passing Through is a two-hander about an encounter between a magician and a young woman who’s ‘had it with romance’. The romantic subject matter, while perfect for
Valentine’s, is something of a departure after the haunting The Garden. ‘One of the points of Peapod is to give writers and actors new opportunities,’ says Kingscott. ‘I haven’t done a romcom before, which is why I commissioned Alistair to write one.’ To prepare for the lead role of Tommy the actor has drawn inspiration from an old pro. ‘I’ve been watching a lot of Paul Daniels,’ he laughs. ‘It’s all good and well being able to do the tricks but it’s more about the showmanship.’ (Allan Radcliffe)
PREVIEW NEW PLAY SNOOKERED Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 16–Sat 18 Feb
The latest production from London-based theatre company Tamasha explores the issues faced by young men reaching adulthood and how the choices they make inform the rest of their lives. In Snookered four friends meet for a tense drink on the anniversary of the death of a member of their group.
‘Everyone brings a lot of baggage to this night,’ explains author Ishy Din. ‘By the end you have the impression that these guys will never go for a drink again.’ Describing himself as ‘a magpie’, Din takes
inspiration from his former life as a taxi driver to create work that relies heavily on multi-layered characters. ‘I must have spoken to about 160,000 people over the years. That gives you an insight into the whole spectrum of human nature.’
While the play focuses on characters that are
northern British Muslim, Din insists that the subject matter is universal. ‘It’s about men. Who happen to be Asian. We
need to break down stereotypes of what different communities are about, whether Asian or British. The only way to do this is to tell a story that people on both sides are going to relate to.’ (Kirstyn Smith)
PREVIEW ADAPTATION THE END Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 17 & Sat 18 Feb
A nameless man, ejected from an anonymous institution, lost in a city. ‘The End’, a short story written by Samuel Beckett in 1954, is one of Gare St Lazare’s favourite pieces of the Irish absurdist’s work. They are well placed to have a preference; their Beckett Trilogy was a sensation at the Traverse Theatre last year and they have collaborated on around 15 Beckett-based shows. Husband and wife team – actor Conor Lovett
and director Judy Hegarty Lovett – deliver the text word for word. It was Judy who pushed to do the piece, drawn to ‘the shattered and elusive quality of the character; his wisdom and integrity despite the odds.’ Once persuaded, Connor discovered the ‘wonderfully mesmeric quality’ of the text.
For him, ‘The End’ is full of the light and shade that typifies Beckett. ‘If there is darkness there is also light. If there is gallows humour there is also plenty of slapstick. If there is sometimes pessimism there are moments of great uplift.’ He does not, he insists, deserve his gloomy reputation. ‘He very rarely deals with either hope or hopelessness. Luckily.’ (Anna Burnside)
2 Feb–1 Mar 2012 THE LIST 111