THEATRE WIN A DANCE SEASON PASS FOR TWO AT FESTIVAL THEATRE EDINBURGH
■ USHER HALL Lothian Road, 228 1155. Raymond Gubbay: HMS Pinafore Sun 30 Dec 3pm. £15.50–£34. Gilbert & Sullivan’s first runaway hit is a very silly but highly entertaining story of naval shenanigans, featuring babies switched at birth and a buffoonish First Lord of the Admiralty. It’s presented here in a semi- staged concert performance, with the Scottish Concert Orchestra Gilbert and Sullivan Chorus and conductor Richard Balcombe. OUTSIDE THE CITIES
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530.
✽ The Snow Queen Until Sat 5 Jan, times vary. £15–£19 (children £7). This adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale from playwright Mike Kenny follows the story of little Gerda and her race to save her friend from the clutches of the evil Snow Queen.
■ HOWDEN PARK CENTRE Howden, Livingston, 01506 777666.
Barefoot in the Park Thu 24–Sat 26 Jan 7.30pm. £12 (£10 on Thu only). Neil Simon’s classic 60s comedy about Mr Straight, whose marriage to fun-loving Corrie has turned to comical discord, while Corrie’s sweetly conventional mother tries to fend off the affections of the middle-aged man in the attic.
■ OLD TAX OFFICE King Street, Stirling It’s A Wonderful Life Sun 16 Dec, 7–8pm. £7.50. See City Café, Edinburgh. ■ PERTH THEATRE 185 High Street, Perth, 01738 621031. Mother Goose Until Sat 5 Jan, times vary. £19.50 (£17.50; under 16s £12.50). Perth Theatre’s eggsellent take on the classic festive panto, written by Alan McHugh.
■ PITLOCHRY FESTIVAL THEATRE Port–na Craig, Pitlochry, 01796 484626. White Christmas Until Sun 23 Dec, times vary. £15–£32.50. Scottish première production of Irving Berlin’s classic festive musical.
2013 looks like the year of dance if the spring programme at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre
is anything to go by. February is Boys-only month
with phenomenally popular young dancers, BalletBoyz®, showcasing just why they’re known as ‘the TALENT’— the title applies as much to the
lads’ impressive physiques as it does to their exceptional dancing abilities. A few days later
another all-male dance troop with a completely
different twist, as the hilarious Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo (or ‘Trocks’) return
with their unique style of drag-queen ballet/comedy.
Not to be upstaged by the visiting troops, our own national dance company, Scottish Dance Theatre, perform two beautiful pieces in March, looking to both LA street-dance culture and the dark Norwegian
winter for inspiration. And to top it all off the consistently popular Northern Ballet returns with The Great Gatsby; an exciting new theatrical ballet
based on the classic novel by F Scott Fitzgerald. We’ve got a Season Pass for two to give away so you and
a friend can see all of these shows.
For your chance to win, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:
Who wrote The Great Gatsby?
BalletBoyz®: the TALENT 2013 (Mon 18 February) Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (22 & 23 February) Scottish Dance Theatre (Tue 19 March) Northern Ballet: The Great Gatsby (Thu 21 to Sat 23 March) Box O(cid:2)ce 0131 529 6000 edtheatres.com bkg fees apply Registered Charity SC018605.
Terms & Conditions: Competition closes 25 Jan 2013. Usual List rules apply.
136 THE LIST 13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013
REVIEW DANCE MUSICAL DIRTY DANCING Edinburgh Playhouse until Sat 12 Jan ●●●●●
There are some iconic moments that never get old. No matter how many times you see Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey finally crack ‘the lift’ at the end of Dirty Dancing, it always brings a thrill, and possibly a wee tear to the eye. Had the producers of this ambitious stage version got that moment
wrong, it would have been catastrophic. As it is, just as in the 1987 film, it’s a moment to cherish – and one that sends the already excitable crowd into apoplexy. We know exactly when it’s coming, because aside from a couple
of brief additions, Dirty Dancing live is a word for word, step by step carbon copy of the original. You can almost sense the audience waiting for key lines along the way (‘nobody puts Baby in a corner’ producing an especially raucous reaction).
Which is all well and good, because it’s a great film, but some things don’t translate to a stage and auditorium of this size – and sexual anticipation is one of them. Paul-Michael Jones and Jill Winternitz (aka Johnny Castle and Baby Houseman) try their best to capture the romantic chemistry and class tension of this legendary pairing, but it’s a tough challenge that doesn’t quite come off.
The supporting cast – and Emilia Williams as Baby’s big sister in particular – are largely strong. Elsewhere, attempts to broaden the 1960s socio-political plotline feel a tad tokenistic, but a sense of history is clearly defined by the excellent live band and slick dancing. (Kelly Apter)