THEATRE WIN TICKETS TO THE MUSICAL HIGH SOCIETY
You’re invited to the wedding of the e year, and what a swell party it is gonna be! Prepare yourself for a glorious night of vintage Hollywood in the dazzling new production of Cole Porter’s High Society. Adapted from the hit 1956 film, which starred screen legends Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra, High Society bubbles with a h a h a host of beautiful ballads including ‘True Love’, ‘You’re Sensational’ and the unforgettable ‘Well, Did You Evah!’ this uplifting and sparkling production proves Porter’s classic musical style and fizzing wit will always be in fashion.
Starring Michael Praed (Robin of Sherwood & The Sound of Music), Marilyn Cutts (Fascinating Aida), Teddy Kempner (Acorn Antiques, The Musical and RSC’s Nicholas Nickleby), Daniel Boys (Any Dream Will Do), and Sophie Bould (The Sound of Music).
We’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away for opening night of High Society on Tuesday 5 March at 7.30pm. To enter, just log on to list.co.uk/offers and tell us:
What year was the High Society film released?
High Society Tue 5 - Sat 9 Mar 2013
COMPETITION CLOSES 20 FEB 2013. TICKETS ARE FOR 5 MARCH ONLY. THERE IS NO CASH ALTERNATIVE. USUAL LIST RULES APPLY.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
104 THE LIST 24 Jan–21 Feb 2013
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
■ BRUNTON THEATRE Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. Farm Boy Thu 31 Jan, 7.30pm. £11.50 (£9.50; under 18s £6.50). New Perspectives Theatre Company and Scamp Theatre bring to life Michael Morpurgo’s sequel to the award- winning War Horse. Unmythable Wed 6 Feb, 7pm. £6.50 (family ticket £24). A new take on the myths of ancient Greece.
✽ Do you nomi? Fri 8 Feb, 7.30pm. £11 (£9; under 18s £6.50).
Four male dancers recount the story of actor/singer Klaus Nomi and his hold over the New York avant-garde scene until his death from AIDS- related complications in 1983. A mix of theatre, dance, and dialogue, the original show is a collaboration between director Grant Smeaton and choreographer Alan Greig. See preview, page 101.
✽ In an Alien Landscape Sat 9 Feb, 7.30pm. £11.50 (£9.50; under
18s £6.50). After suffering a close encounter with death and a resulting brain injury, Albie can’t stop painting, a compulsion driven by the constant white noise that fills his head. Presented by Birds of Paradise Theatre Company. See preview, page 100. Sparkleshark and Brokenville Sat 16 Feb, 7pm. £6.50. Brunton Youth Theatre presents this double bill of plays. The Nutcracker Thu 21 Feb, 7.30pm. £13 (£10). See Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow.
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530. Breakin’ Rules Sat 26 Jan, 8pm. £8 (£5). An evening of headspinning action from some of the UK’s finest dance crews. Five Pound and Twa Bairns Wed 30 Jan–Fri 1 Feb, 7.30pm. £12 (£10). A new production of Mike Gibb’s musical about women whose lives were affected by the loss of men when the bridge between Fife and Dundee collapsed over 130 years ago. An Evening of Dirty Dancing Thu 7 & Fri 8 Feb, 7.30pm. £18 (£15; students £14). A foot-stomping tribute to a classic movie and its much-loved soundtrack, with a dazzling cast of West End performers.
✽ Scottish Dance Theatre: Second Coming/Winter,
Again Wed 20–Sat 23 Feb, 8pm. £16 (£13; children £6). The dance troupe’s double-bill spring show takes on the LA- street-dance-influenced Second Coming and Winter, Again, an exploration of the season choreographed by someone who knows it well – Jo Strømgren, a Norwegian. See preview, page 101.
■ MACROBERT University of Stirling, Stirling, 01786 466666. Broadway Fever Fri 25 & Sat 26 Jan, 7.30pm. £15 (£10). The hottest hits from fave Broadway shows including Wicked, We Will Rock You and Les Mis. Presented by Odyssey Music Entertainment. The Nutcracker Sat 2 & Sun 3 Feb, 7.30pm. £11 (£9.50; friends £9; students £8). See Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow.
REVIEW CLASSIC A TASTE OF HONEY Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until Sat 9 Feb ●●●●●
As one of the first working class British playwrights to write about the world she knew, Shelagh Delaney mined the rhythms and humour of everyday speech to create dialogue that is still fresh to the ear more than 50 years on from the debut of her signature work, A Taste of Honey. Too often nowadays that play is dismissed as a kind of historical document, an insight into a darker past where marginalised communities had no voice whatsoever. Yet, Tony Cownie’s revival of the seminal kitchen sink play, about a
teenager in working class Salford who falls pregnant to a black sailor and is then befriended and cared for by a gay art student, places a strong emphasis on language and character, drawing attention to the play’s broader themes: the tendency of people to fall into the same life traps as their parents; the need for love and some kind of home; the fury engendered by endless struggle. There are odd jarring moments, notably the device of having the characters intermittently address the audience, but on the whole the production’s blend of humour and poignancy works well.
The cast rise ably to Cownie’s approach with a series of heartfelt but refreshingly unsentimental performances. Rebecca Ryan brings a plausible mix of vulnerability and simmering anger to Jo, the teenager with one foot in a harsh adult world. Charlie Ryan gives a moving performance as Jo’s guardian angel Geoffrey. And Lucy Black is impressive as Helen, the single mother, fast approaching middle age and still chasing dreams of a more comfortable future. Black pulls off the delicate balance of showing us Helen’s insecurities and rare moments of tenderness while also not flinching from the spite and bitterness festering underneath. (Allan Radcliffe)