THEATRE ■ EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. Scottish Opera: The Magic Flute Fri 16 Nov, Tue 20 Nov, Thu 22 Nov & Sat 24 Nov, 7.15pm. Sun 18 Nov, 4pm. £17.50–£74.50 (£10–£71.50). Mozart’s classic tale of the search for love, wisdom and truth is also a complex allegory about Freemasonry, or something, but you don’t need to know that in order to enjoy some of the freshest, most exhilarating music ever composed. Nicky Spence sings Tamino, the questing hero, and Mari Moriya the virtuosic role of Queen of the Night. Ekhart Wycik conducts. Sung in English with English supertitles.
✽ Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty Tue 27, Wed 28 Nov &
Fri 30 Nov, 7.30pm. Thu 29 Nov & Sat 1 Dec, 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £16–£42.50 (£10–£39.50). Matthew Bourne completes his trio of Tchaikovsky- scored ballets with the story of Aurora’s century-long slumber, rendered in typically idiosyncratic style as a gothic fairy tale set between the Victorian era and the present day. See preview, page 105. Soul Sister Mon 3 Dec–Thu 6 Dec, 7.30pm. Fri 7 Dec, 5pm & 8.30pm. Sat 8 Dec, 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £13.50–£38. Musical telling the life stories of Ike and Tina Turner, with all the classic hits, from ‘River Deep Mountain High’ to ‘Simply the Best’. See picture caption, page 107. The Snowman Thu 13 Dec–Sun 30 Dec, times vary. £16–£27 (£10–£24). See Kids listings.
■ THE JAM HOUSE 5 Queen Street, 226 4380. Hebrides Ensemble: Eight Songs for a Mad King Thu 15 Nov, 7pm. £12. Hebrides Ensemble take on one of the most exciting pieces of twentieth- century music theatre, the extravagant and seminal Eight Songs for a Mad King, by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Last played in Scotland a decade ago, this promises to be a disturbing and occasionally very funny depiction of the madness of King George III. The role of the king is taken by Marcus Farnsworth (baritone) and the programme also includes works by
WIN STUFF WIN UGLY DUCKING TICKETS
It’s panto season again (oh, yes it is!) and Glasgow’s Arches is bringing us an inspired disco- infused take on Hans Christian Andersen’s fable about a homely little bird who just wants to be loved, written by Andy Manley, creator of last year’s acclaimed Rudolph. We have a family ticket to give away for the show, valid for the whole run (Fri 30 Nov–Sun 30 Dec), though subject to availability – enter via list.co.uk/offers by Wed 28 Nov. 110 THE LIST 15 Nov–13 Dec 2012
I I
E V L G O M O T
REVIEW REVIVAL IRON Traverse Theatre, until Sat 17 Nov. Seen at Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 10 Nov ●●●●●
The constant stream of biographical works about Susan Newell, Ruth Ellis and Myra Hindley, including a new book on Ellis published in September, underscores the ongoing fascination with women who kill. Rona Munro’s 2002 play explores this desire to understand what makes seemingly ordinary (even likeable) people commit murder through the fraught reunion between convicted husband-killer Fay Black (Blythe Duff) and her estranged daughter, Josie (Irene Allan). After 15 years inside, Fay seems resigned to a lifetime of incarceration, compensating by vicariously drinking in her daughter’s work, travel and social exploits. Josie, meanwhile, wrong-footed by her mother’s passion and intelligence, sets in train an appeal, thus unwittingly reopening the can of worms that is her family’s violent past. Director Richard Baron’s thrilling production for the Borders-based Firebrand Theatre wisely keeps the focus on the central relationship, gradually opening up the action as the piece progresses and the tension between the two leads deepens. This tumultuous dialogue is complemented by Adrian Rees’ deceptively simple set, which beautifully encapsulates the narrow claustrophobia of both women’s lives. The four-strong cast, which also includes Crawford Logan and Claire Dargo as a pair of guards with strikingly different approaches, is excellent. Duff, though, is stunning as Fay, seamlessly capturing the complexity of a woman who veers from chilly calm to childlike rage, sometimes within the same sentence, but holding just enough back to invest the character with an intriguing ambiguity. (Allan Radcliffe)
Xenakis, Benjamin, Knussen, Matthews and Adès. ■ KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. The Vagina Monologues Sat 17 Nov, 7.30pm. £11.50–£22 (£8.50–£19). Eve Ensler’s witty and powerful celebration of women stars Clare Buckfield (2 Point 4 Children), Vicky Entwistle (Coronation Street) and Hayley Tamaddon (Emmerdale). Edinburgh Gang Show Tue 20 Nov– Fri 23 Nov, 7pm. Sat 24 Nov, 2.15pm & 7pm. £9–£16. Over 250 of Edinburgh’s Scouts and Guides join together in this annual event featuring music, comedy and dance. Mother Goose Sat 1 Dec–Sun 20 Jan, times vary. £10–£27.50 (£8–£25.50; children £6–£23.50). The annual King’s Theatre Pantomime starring Grant Stott, Andy Gray and Allan Stuart in the tale of the goose who lays golden eggs.
■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Until Sat 17 Nov, 7.45pm. £14.50–£29. A new production of one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, about fairy power struggles, rude mechanicals’ amateur dramatics and romantic entanglements in the forest. Directed by Matthew Lenton of Vanishing Point. See review, page 104. Cinderella Thu 29 Nov–Sat 29 Dec, times vary. £9–£24. Johnny McKnight has written this new version of the the fairy tale for this year’s Royal Lyceum Christmas show, promising a modern twist on the story with a good sprinkling of magic and slapstick to keep families happy. ■ ST BRIDE’S CENTRE 10 Orwell Terrace, 346 1405. Curtain Up! Wed 28 Nov–Sat 1 Dec,
7.30pm. £10 (£8.50). See Kids listings. ■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404. The Artist Man and the Mother Woman Thu 15 Nov & Sat 17 Nov, 2.30pm & 7.30pm. Fri 16 Nov, 7.30pm. £15.50–£17.50 (£6–£13.50). A new play by Morna Pearson, this black comedy is about a middle-aged art teacher, still living with his mother, who sets out to get a girlfriend. Directed by Traverse Artistic Director Orla O’Loughlin. See review, page 104.
✽ Iron Thu 15 & Fri 16 Nov, 8pm. Sat 17 Nov, 2pm & 8pm. £15.50
(£6–£11.50). Rona Munro’s hard-hitting play about a mother living behind bars is presented by new Borders-based theatre company Firebrand, with Blythe Duff in the starring role. See review, above. Agnes & Walter: a little love story Tue 20 Nov, 7.30pm. £6-£15.50. SMITH dancetheatre presents a piece paying tribute to long-term love, inspired by James Thurber’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Combining dance, physical theatre, clowning and music performed by an intergenerational cast, the show explores suppressed desires, secret wishes, aspirations and disappointments. Part of the Traverse’s Autumn Dance Festival.
✽ 12 Dancers / Deliberance Wed 21 Nov, 7.30pm. £6-£15.50.
Explosive new choreography from Andy Howitt, set in a courtroom and debating reasonable doubt and the concept of guilt. Part of the Traverse Autumn Dance Festival. See preview, page 105. The Intoxicating Rose Garden Thu 22 Nov, 7.30pm. £15.50 (£6–£11.50). A fusion of contemporary music, dance and animation from Red Note, featuring Sally Beamish’s settings of poems by Hafez performed (both danced and sung) by Michael Popper, with video by Laurie Irvine taking its cue from Lila Peacock’s
illustrations, and young Iranian setar player Annosh Jahanshashi performing his own settings of Hafez. Part of the Traverse Autumn Dance Festival. Sonata for a Man and a Boy Fri 23 Nov, 7pm. Sat 24 Nov, 2.30pm. £10. Greg Sinclair and macrobert present a duet featuring live cello music, chat and movement, built around a cello lesson that becomes an adventure. Part of the Traverse Autumn Dance Festival. Within This Dust Fri 23 Nov, 7.30pm. £15.50 (£6–£11.50). Smallpetitklein dance company presents its Fringe hit exploring Richard Drew’s iconic photographs of a man falling from the World Trade Center on 9/11. Part of the Traverse Autumn Dance Festival.
✽ Breakin’ Convention: Open Art Surgery Sat 24 Nov, 7.30pm. £15.50 (£6–£11.50). Hip hop and break dance hosted by Jonzi D and Breakin’ Convention. Part of the Traverse Autumn Dance Festival. See preview, page 105. The Arthur Conan Doyle Society Tue 4 Dec–Sat 22 Dec, times vary. £15.50–£17.50 (£6–£13.50; previews Tue 4 & Wed 5 Dec, tickets £11/£6). Traverse Artistic Director teams up with physical comedy specialists Peepolykus and writers Steven Canny and John Nicholson to present a riotous Christmas show about the creator of Sherlock Holmes and the collision of spiritualism and rationalism. Too Many Penguins? Tue 11–Sat 22 Dec, times vary. £10. See Kids listings.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530. DOG & LUXURIA Wed 21 & Thu 22 Nov, 8pm. £16 (£13; children £6; students £9). A double bill of two of Scottish Dance Theatre’s signature