THEATRE | Previews
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FESTIVAL TAKE ME SOMEWHERE Various venues, Glasgow, Wed 22 Feb–Sat 11 Mar
When celebrated Glasgow venue The Arches shut down in 2015 amid a blaze of controversy, shockwaves could be felt nationally. Jackie Wylie, that venue’s artistic director and incoming NTS head, has returned with a new platform (events staged across various Glasgow theatres and clubs) that continues to champion the kind of leftfield performance which made The Arches so venerated.
‘Because of the incredible community built up around its 25-year lifespan, there was a remarkable sense of loss and grief when The Arches closed,’ explains Wylie. ‘As a result, there has been an overwhelmingly positive response to carrying on its legacy.’ Take Me Somewhere is a festival that aims to recall the venue’s support for Scottish talent, as well as its programme of experimental performance from around the world.
A combination of familiar local artists – including Nic Green and Drew Taylor – appear alongside visiting international companies: El Conde de Torrefiel come from Spain with Guerilla, a meditation on anxiety and future societies, while Lucy McCormick and drag legend Panti return to Scotland with shows that gathered praise at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe.
The programme embraces a diversity of ideas and styles. Pieces like Julia Taudevin’s Blow Off or Kieran Hurley’s Heads Up share an interest in what Hurley sees as ‘how it feels to live in a world that’s built on catastrophe, like a constant cavalcade of crisis.’ Panti’s performance / political activism addresses gender and sexual freedom, while Lucy McCormick's Triple Threat is unabashedly filthy, turning the New Testament into a subversive cabaret. Describing Triple Threat, McCormick identifies an eclectic energy that perhaps reflects both The Arches’ legacy and Wylie’s curation: ‘It is a great conduit for my interests and informed by various strains of performance work, from clowning through the theatre of the absurd, to performance art and cabaret.’ (Lorna Irvine)
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DARK FAIRYTALE THE RED CHAIR Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 3 & Sat 4 Mar; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 17 & Sat 18 Mar; Dundee Rep, Fri 31 Mar
‘When I began writing the story, my idea was that it was for children,’ says Sarah Cameron, writer and performer of The Red Chair. ‘In the very best tradition of fairytales and myth, it was always going to be dark.’ Although Cameron draws on her Scottish
childhood for the show, using both Scots language and the enchanted atmosphere of fairytales, The Red Chair is produced by Clod, an ensemble known for its bracing, intelligent and mature productions. This intriguing tension lends the piece a mysterious and challenging dynamic. ‘The Red Chair begins like a fairytale with the
baroque and cartoon structure of the story creating a safe space,’ Cameron continues. ‘From there we can explore the darker aspects of the human condition.’ The fantastic plot – which features an invisible
daughter and a father who eats until he eventually becomes the chair he sits upon – is unfolded through a complex monologue, revealing both the influence of Scots' poetry and Cameron’s training at the influential Lecoq school. Before spring arrives, The Red Chair revels in the darkness at the edges of reason. (Gareth K Vile)
84 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2017
SHAKESPEARE THE WINTER’S TALE Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 10 Feb– Sat 4 Mar BYRNE TRILOGY CUTTIN' A RUG Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 8 Feb–Sat 4 Mar; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 7–Sat 11 Mar
Alongside a cast full of popular Scottish actors, Max Webster directs The Winter’s Tale in the spirit of Lyceum artistic director David Greig’s energising vision for the venerable Edinburgh venue. Webster’s Lyceum debut came from his and
Greig’s shared enthusiasm for Shakespeare and Scottish folk music. ‘We like theatre that tells good stories, that are full of fun but also ask big questions,’ he says of the production which features Maureen Beattie, Jimmy Chisholm and composer / performer Aly Macrae. The Winter’s Tale is known for its stage direction – ‘exit pursued by a bear’ – but it is also one of Shakespeare’s most ambitious works, pairing pastoral comedy and tragedy.
‘It’s always been one of my favourite plays,’ says Webster. ‘I enjoy evenings in the theatre where you don’t know what’s going to happen, and when you sit down to Macbeth, you know!’ With its sudden – and unexpected – leap across
16 years, The Winter’s Tale presents the bard at his most daring, not least in his mixture of genres. Even after the tragedy, the plot keeps moving. As Webster concludes: ‘Beyond despair and the ways that we inflict pain on each other, might there be redemption?’ (Gareth K Vile)
Following on from last year’s Citizens revival of The Slab Boys, the second part of playwright and artist John Byrne’s trilogy arrives to continue the adventure of Phil, Spanky and co. With the guys heading to Paisley Town Hall for the annual carpet factory dance, Byrne’s script casts a wry eye over the tentative teenage rebellions of the Teddy Boy generation.
John Byrne’s gallus patter merchants are a slice of Paisley life, rough-hewn diamonds of working- class characters caught up in a world that’s about to change, yet still clinging to the more decorous manners and hierarchies of an earlier age.
And while it has an iconic status within Scottish theatre, Cuttin’ a Rug retains relevance, featuring both the comedy and tragedy of young men trying to escape the constraints of their class and era.
This version of the tale stars brothers Ryan and Scott Fletcher as the anti-heroes alongside Anne Lacey and Paul James Corrigan. Taking on directorial duties is original cast member Caroline Paterson, for what she calls ‘a celebration of Paisley and also John’s work’. And with Paisley in the running for City of Culture 2021, it couldn't be timelier. (Lorna Irvine)