THEATRE list.co.uk/theatre
THE GAMBLERS Taking a chance with this revived Russian classic
swearing,
‘I really want to put on stage a group in ways that of women behaving to: gambling, they are not supposed drinking, dancing, farting, cheating, shouting, competing and having a lot of fun.’ Although director Selma Dimitrijevic admits she had been coming back to Gogol’s The Gamblers for years (‘I think it is fantastic and underrated’), it wasn’t until deciding to swap the characters’ genders that she found the hook that would interest her enough to ‘spend a year of my life on it’.
The Gamblers has often been ignored for Gogol’s other more obviously funny plays like The Government Inspector, but in this new translation by Dimitrijevic and Mikhail Durnenkov, it has a dry irony that observes the trickery, and lack of honour, within the gambling gang. Dimitrijevic is also known as a playwright,
96 THE LIST 16 Oct–13 Nov 2014
and her decision to develop a new version of this classic was by necessity. ‘Some of the translations were dreadful, and many were old-fashioned. They translate it literally, and you lose so much poetry!’
But despite the gender swap, ‘we haven’t made the characters female,’ she adds. Not content to revive a marginalised classic, Dimitrijevic is enjoying the chance to attack dull ideas of feminine decorum. Dimitrijevic’s company, Greyscale, has previously visited Scotland and impressed through new writing, but she is excited by a fresh direction: after The Gamblers, their next project takes on the four great Chekhov plays with a single ensemble. (Gareth K Vile)
Dundee Rep, Wed 22–Sat 25 Oct; Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 5–Sat 8 Nov; Summerhall, Edinburgh, Tue 11– Fri 14 Nov.
HITLIST THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
✽ Sunset Song Scotland’s most popular novel is faithfully reproduced for the stage.
A tale of hardship and matriarchal optimism where war destroys lives and dreams. See review at list.co.uk King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 21–Sat 25 Oct.
✽ Three Sisters Andy Arnold directs a stellar cast in John Byrne’s reworking of
Chekhov. See review at list.co.uk Tron Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 18 Oct; King's Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 21–Sat 25 Oct.
✽ Cardinal Sinne Grant Smeaton plays the titular priest in Raymond Burke’s satirical
comic romp. See preview, page 97. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 22 Oct–Sat 1 Nov.
✽ Bondagers Lu Kemp directs Sue Glover’s contemporary classic that looks at the almost feudal society of the not-so-distant past. See preview, page 99. Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 22 Oct–Sat 15 Nov.
✽ Up Close Scottish Ballet present six short pieces spanning the full spectrum of ballet,
from classical pointe work to contemporary dance. See preview, page 99. Touring across Scotland in October.
✽ Symphony Reprise of Fringe hit that mashes
up rock’n’roll energy and the performance power of experimental theatre. See review at list.co.uk Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 5–Fri 7 Nov.
✽ Edinburgh Choreographic Project The Edinburgh Choreographic Project
presents an evening of modern dance devised by international choreographer Royston Maldoom OBE. See preview, page 100. Touring across Scotland in November.