FESTIVAL THEATRE REVIEWS
THREAD Poignant evocation of life and loss ●●●●●
After the success of last year’s Allotment, Nutshell Theatre returns with an immersive evocation of nostalgia, memory and love as the forces that bind us together in the second part of their thematic trilogy. The audience is invited to the Burntisland beetle drive and, after a furious round of the game reminiscent of Women’s Institutes and Rotary clubs everywhere, the life stories of Joan, husband William and best friend Izzy take over. The experience is less a recreation and more a trip
through a time portal. The props are real – like the antique sewing box from which director Kate Nelson sought inspiration for the show – and the characters are similarly authentic. From a script littered with little references to life on the east coast of Scotland in the 1950s and 60s, Claire Dargo, Stephen Docherty and Mary Gapinksi compellingly embody the magnitude and minutiae of their characters to create an enthralling and poignant performance that simultaneously displays immense artistic ability and feels like a slice of real life. (Suzanne Black) ■ Assembly St Mark’s, 623 3030, until 26 Aug (not 20), times vary, £10 (£8.50).
2008: MACBETH Theatre of war makes for riveting viewing ●●●●●
The i rst we hear of Major Macbeth, he’s radio-ing in from his Scotland-52 helicopter saying he’s going to undertake a dangerous raid on Arab insurgents in an unnamed Middle Eastern country in dei ance of his commander. The attack is successful, so we skip straight to the military honours and brush under the carpet his gratuitous decapitation of one of the enemy. As the mysterious i gure in the burqa foretold, he is promoted to the post of commander of Sector Two – AKA Cawdor. The rot is setting in. This, in other words, is Macbeth re-imagined for the 21st century. It’s not one for the traditionalists, but
although the explosive staging by Grzegorz Jarzyna for TR Warszawa has little reverence for the i ner points of Shakespeare’s verse, it has a deep sense of the play’s scepticism about a social order built on military conquest. The production pre-dates the current crisis in Syria, but these Macbeths, played by Cezary Kosinski and Aleksandra Konieczna, could be Bashar and Ashma Assad, the smiling i gure-heads of a murderous regime. Or are they the corrupt representatives of a colonial invader, allowing power to go to their heads, and their heads to turn into a neurotic mess?
The re-working makes tremendous sense in this context – right down to the drunken soldier in a spangly
bra trying to key in the right security code as a modern-day porter. But even if you can’t buy into the switch from 16th-century Scotland to modern-day war zone, you can only be awestruck by Jarzyna’s staging.
Not only does it look good on a massive set by Stephanie Nelson and Agnieszka Zawadowska, showing four playing areas at once, but it sounds awesome, as it drives home the violent roar of today’s weaponry. Throw in some astonishing technical effects and you have a production with tremendous drive, energy and purpose. (Francis McLachlan) ■ Royal Highland Centre, 473 2000, until 18 Aug, 7.30pm, £30-£35.
WOJTEK THE BEAR Fascinating real-life bear drama is worth a look ●●●●●
There’s no denying that the true story of Wojtek ‘the soldier bear’ is fascinating. Sold to the Polish army stationed in Iran in 1942, he was officially drafted into the 22nd Artillery Supply Company and transported ammo during the battle of Monte Cassino, becoming a symbol of the Polish fighting spirit. After demobilisation he ended up in Berwickshire before ending his days in Edinburgh Zoo. Theatre Objecktiv’s adaptation of this intriguing story has moments of magic but is not without its problems. The opening 15 minutes feels muddled but it soon settles into its stride. James Sutherland really inhabits the role of Wojtek, viewing the atrocities around him with child-like innocence. John McColl is similarly excellent as Piotr Prendys, the soldier who took care of Wojtek, while the live score, from Sue Muir on violin, adds a poignant undercurrent to the action. The literal elements of the adaptation are far more engaging, but otherwise some of the staging is confusing. It’s hard to discern exactly what Wojtek’s role was at Monte Cassino, for example. However, the themes of love, friendship and loyalty still make this worth a look. (Henry Northmore) ■ Hill Street Theatre, 226 6522, until 26 Aug, 4.30pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10).
EDUCATING RONNIE Compelling true-life fable ●●●●●
Joe Douglas’ day job may be that of professional theatre director, but his one-man show is based on a strand of his own life that’s far richer than anything he could have made up. The story dates back ten years to his gap year in Uganda. Alongside volunteering and white-water rafting and ‘all that clichéd gap year shite’ he met Ronnie, a Ugandan boy, similar in age and interests. Months after returning to Stockport he received a text from Ronnie, asking for £20 a month so he could finish school. Joe agreed, but as the years passed and Ronnie’s requests for cash increased while Joe struggled to pay off his own student loan, he began to grow suspicious. Douglas doesn’t flinch from addressing the
difficult issues raised by his actions. What are his motivations? Does helping one person really make a difference when so many are struggling? The question of whether or not Douglas was wise to trust Ronnie drives the drama, but there are surprising twists along the way and a conclusion that’s satisfying though not facile. Douglas admits he’s not primarily an actor and his delivery could perhaps do with more variety. But he is armed with a gentle charm and a gift of a story with much bubbling away beneath its surface. (Allan Radcliffe) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 26 Aug (not 20), 1.15pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10).
74 THE LIST 16–23 Aug 2012