list.co.uk/theatre THEATRE
Events are listed by city, then alphabetically by venue. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to theatre@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Murray Robertson. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry GLASGOW
■ CITIZENS THEATRE 119 Gorbals Street, 429 0022.
✽Crime and Punishment Thu 5– Sat 28 Sep (not Sun & Mon), 7.30pm
(Sat 14 & Sat 21, 2.30pm also). £12– £19.50. A new adaptation of Dostoevsky’s literary masterpiece, written by Chris Hannan and directed by Dominic Hill. A starving student commits a double murder and turns to a prostitute for redemption. Notes from the Underground Wed 11–Sat 14 Sep, 7.30pm (Sat 2.30pm also). £10 (£6). Adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novella about a bitter, paranoid man who withdraws to an underground retreat. Ankur Ha Ha Thu 19–Sat 21 Sep, 7.30pm. £10 (£6). A showcase of work produced by Ankur Ha Ha, a project
supported by the Citizens Theatre to mentor and develop artists working in a range of genres. ■ EASTWOOD PARK THEATRE Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, 577 4970. The Weegie Board Fri 6 Sep, 7.30pm. £13 (£11; students £9). Chilling play written by BAFTA-winner David Cosgrove in response to a commission from Scottish Youth Theatre.
■ KING’S THEATRE 297 Bath Street, 0844 871 7648. Dreamboats and Petticoats Thu 22–Sat 24 Aug, 7.30pm (Sat 2.30pm also). £10–£35. Jukebox musical based on the songs of Roy Orbison, the Shadows, Eddie Cochran, Billy Fury and others. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Tue 27 Aug–Sat 7 Sep, 7.30pm (Wed & Thu 2.30pm also; Fri 5pm & 8pm only; Sat 2pm, 5pm & 8pm only). £10–£35. Bill Kenwright’s production of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical returns, with Ian ‘H from Steps’ Watkins starring as the boy with the troublesome coat.
ADAPTATION OF RUSSIAN CLASSIC CRIME AND PUNISHMENT Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 5–Sat 28 Sep
For artistic director Dominic Hill, starting the Citizens’ autumn season with an adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment fits in with his usual policy. Although he is known for his adventurous interpretation of contemporary classic plays, ‘it doesn’t feel like a departure for me,’ he says. ‘I’ve always loved the theatricality of the novel: this is a classic story given contemporary relevance as well as being a new play.’
‘The characters, the dramatic scenes that Dostoevsky creates, the story, the interior monologues of Raskolnikov: it seemed right for the stage,’ Hill explained. Certainly, Crime and Punishment is one of the great Russian novels. It follows the path of a man who wonders whether he might be so important that the usual rules of society don’t apply to him. They do, and the story charts his redemption after a foolish attempt to perform a righteous crime.
The novel is also an in-depth exploration of philosophical ideas,
making it an important text for the existentialist thinkers of the 20th century and making a clear statement about personal responsibility. And further to Hill’s suggestion, the tensions between competing ideas have always been every bit as crucial to theatre as the famous characters. Working from a new adaptation by Chris Hannan, Hill’s version not
only includes the drama of Raskolnikov, but features a new live score by Macedonian composer Nikola Kodjabashia as well as traditional Russian psalms performed live on stage. ‘For me, it’s a story about a man’s reintegration into society,’ Hill
says. He is determined to demonstrate that the story still maintains its relevance today. ‘It’s about the need for society: no man is an island, and about compassion and valuing life, regardless whose it is. These are timeless important themes and values that go beyond the confines of any religion and are relevant to any person living in any society.’ (Gareth K Vile)
Cats Mon 16–Fri 27 Sep (not Sat & Sun), 7.30pm (Wed 2.30pm also). £10–£35. One of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most successful musicals, in a production directed by Trevor Nunn, goes on tour.
■ OFFSHORE 3/5 Gibson Street, offshorecoffee.co.uk Offshore Platform Sat 24 Aug–14 Sep, 7pm. £3. Each week Attune Theatre produces a new piece of writing or offers a fresh take on an existing piece, then mounts the production with the help of guest artists. Tickets only available on the door. ■ THE OLD HAIRDRESSERS Opposite Stereo, Renfield Lane, 222 2254. Rewrite Tue 3 & Wed 4 Sep, 8pm. £7 (£5). A new play about celebrity, relationships and the struggle to separate fantasy from reality.
■ PAVILION THEATRE 121 Renfield Street, 332 1846. Peter Powers Fri 23 Aug, 7.30pm. Sat 24 Aug, 7.30pm & midnight. £12.50–£16 (family £7.50 per person Fri only). Hypnotist act from Powers, who has been called ‘the Ali G of stage hypnosis’. Please note the Fri show is a ‘Family Fun Night’, Sat 7.30pm show is ‘Anything Goes’ (safe for teens) and the Sat ‘Midnight Madness’ is over 18s only. I, Tommy Tue 17–Sat 21 Sep, 7.30pm. £20 (£18). A lighthearted satirical exploration of the whole Tommy Sheridan debacle written by Rab C Nesbitt creator Ian Pattison, starring Des McLean as the perma-tanned jailbird himself.
■ SCOTTISH YOUTH THEATRE The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 3988. The Weegie Board Fri 13 & Sat 14 Sep, 7.30pm. £7.50 (£3.50). See Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow.
■ SECC Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. Dance Show LIVE Sat 24 & Sun 25 Aug, 10am. £12.50 (both days £23.50). Whether you’re an up-and-coming dancer, a seasoned pro or a flat-footed newbie, there’s something for everyone at this festival of dance, with performances, workshops and talks. Featuring Perri and Jordan from Diversity, Luke McFarlane (winner of Got to Dance) and many more. The Lady Boys of Bangkok: Glamorous Amorous Mon 2 Sep, 7.30pm. £23.50. The Lady Boys present their world-famous show with renditions of J-Lo, Whitney, Kylie et al.
■ THE SHED 26 Langside Avenue, 649 5020. Sarcassy Sneek’s Sirens & Salty Sea-men Sat 31 Aug, 8pm. £10. A collection of the weird and wild in an alt. cabaret line-up.
■ THEATRE ROYAL 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647.
✽ Dunsinane Tue 10–Sat 14 Sep, 7.30pm (Thu & Sat 2.30pm also). £10–£35. Major new production from the National Theatre of Scotland. David Greig’s play examines the pain of a war-ravaged Scotland after the death of Macbeth and an English invasion.
■ TRON THEATRE 63 Trongate, 552 4267. The Hellfire Club Fri 23 Aug, 8pm. £10. The Tron team show off their hidden talents at this special night of madness, mayhem and music. All profits go to Marie Curie Cancer Care. The Taking of Zena Charbonne Fri 6 & Sat 7 Sep, 8pm. £10 (£7.50). The Occasional Cabaret present a blistering mix of performance, video and live music. A Play and a Ca-bar-eh! Glesga Girls Do Glesga Ghosts Fri 6 & Sat 7 Sep, 8.30pm. £10. The Glesga Girls
bring to life Glagow’s past in a comic ghost tour (with no ghosts and no tour). The List Sat 7 Sep, 7.45pm. £16 (£12). The award-winning tale of a bereaved woman struggling to come to terms with rural living, who begins to stick rigorously to her lists until this ritual introduces a new set of troubles. Broadway in the Bar Sun 8 Sep, 4pm. £12. An afternoon of the best Broadway tunes. Jazz hands at the ready for hits from Les Mis, Cats, Wicked and many more.
✽The Collection Tue 10–Sat 14 Sep, 7.45pm (Sat 2.30pm also). £8–£16.
Rapture Theatre Company present a new play by leading Scottish playwright Mike Cullen about the seedy world of debt collection. Fog Tue 10 & Thu 12 Sep, 8pm. £10 (£7.50). A play about how two families – one white and dysfunctional, the other black and aspiring – are wrecked by the care system. The Events Tue 17–Sat 21 Sep, 7.45pm. £8–£16. David Greig’s daring new play asks how far forgiveness will stretch in the face of atrocity.
EDINBURGH
■ THE BONGO CLUB 66 Cowgate, 558 8844. FREE Creative Electric Mondays 9–30 Sep, 4pm. Rehearsals / workshops in theatre by young people.
■ THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014.
✽Hairspray Tue 3–Sat 14 Sep, 7.30pm (Thu & Sat 2.30pm also; not Sun). £20–£48.50. Mark Benton takes on an iconic role, not to mention about a ton’s worth of prosthetics, in the feelgood musical romp through the changing values of the 1960s. Expect fabulous outfits, super-catchy songs and the requisite towering barnets.
■ FORESTCENTREPLUS 38 Castle Terrace, 229 4948. FREE Only Wolves and Lions Thu 22 & Fri 23 Aug, 4.30pm. Combining cooking, performance and conversation, Leo Kay and Unai Lopez de Armentia bring storytelling and chat to a dinner with a difference. They provide ‘carbs and condiments’, but each participant must bring one raw ingredient to contribute to the group meal. Ages 16+ Part of Forest Fringe. ■ KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. The Gruffalo’s Child Fri 6 Sep, 1pm & 4pm. Sat 7 & Sun 8 Sep, 10.30am & 1pm. See Kids listings. James and the Giant Peach Tue 17 Sep, 7pm. Wed 18 Sep, 10.30am & 1.30pm. Fri 20 Sep, 10.30am & 7pm. Sat 21 Sep, 2.30pm & 7pm. See Kids listings.
■ LEITH LINKS Leith Links, www.osiligiwarriors.co.uk. The Osiligi Maasai Warrior Troupe Sat 31 Aug & Sun 1 Sep, times vary. £4. A stunning performance of traditional Maasai music and dance from this Kenyan group, including their spectacular jumping. Part of Edinburgh Mela 2013.
■ NORTHERN STAGE @ ST STEPHENS St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, 558 3047. FREE Make. Do. And Mend Thu 22 Aug–Thu 19 Sep, 10.30am. A day of action in which the gathered group spend the day imagining and implementing real solutions to problems you suggest – an attempt to change theatre (and perhaps the entire world) for the better – in one day. Beginning at St Stephen’s and concluding at Forest Fringe, with a collective jaunt between venues – including a new work created by Third Angel especially for the event. Part of Forest Fringe. 22 Aug–19 Sep 2013 THE LIST 83