THEATRE | Previews
UPCOMING WORK LYCEUM AUTUMN SEASON Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, What Shadows 7–23 Sep; Cockpit, 6–28 Oct
For David Greig, artistic director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, his older audience members have become a source of inspiration. ‘They were excited by the more experimental work in last season’s programme. I think of them as my ultras, the season ticket holders who are loyal fans,’ he laughs. After a first year in the post which saw a mixture of traditional theatre alongside more challenging offerings, Greig’s autumn season is going bolder.
‘If not now, then when?’ he observes, when asked about the political
content of the shows, which include a scathing look at race relations in What Shadows and a trip back to post-war Europe in Cockpit. Greig’s plays, including the Macbeth ‘sequel’ Dunsinane, have always revealed his belief in theatre’s importance as a place for debate: in the aftermath of Brexit, he feels that he has a responsibility to lead the arguments. Cockpit is a rarely revived script that Greig regards as a ‘classic’. The
Lyceum is reimagined as a transit camp: refugees from World War II inhabit backstage, the circle and the stalls, and old grudges, new fears and the restructuring of Berlin for the Cold War sharpens the anxiety and sense of dislocation.
Throughout the year, the Lyceum’s programming reflects this
awareness of history – both social and theatrical – but What Shadows pokes at the uncomfortable truth that the revival of racist rhetoric in the Trump era has precedents in British party politics. By staging a confrontation between Enoch Powell (played by Ian McDiarmid) and a young student in the 1980s, it suggests that hate speech has never dropped out of popular discourse. For Greig, a vision of a relevant and dynamic theatre guides his
curation: the Lyceum’s reputation for conservativism is undeserved, and his regime is keen to present a lively, engaged and conscious season. And as one of Scotland’s major production houses, it does much to set the tone for the year ahead. (Gareth K Vile)
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PERFORMANCE ART ALL THE THINGS I’VE LIED ABOUT Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 22 & Sat 23 Sep ADAPTATION THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 12-Sat 28 Oct
As Donald Trump plunges the world into greater chaos with his advocacy of ‘fake news’ and general macho posturing, Katie Bonna’s 2016 Fringe success, All The Things I’ve Lied About has taken on a new relevance. ‘I wanted to write about my relationship with my estranged father,’ she explains. ‘I ended up writing about Donald Trump and Alan Partridge. I’m pretty sure I’ve joined the dishonesty dots joining the two.’
All The Things . . . uses the format of a TED
Talk to reveal Bonna’s own lies – and their consequences – to make wider comments on a culture that appears to be spiralling out of control. Yet despite the serious political themes, Bonna still wants to have fun.
‘This show relies on the audience, so my aim every time I step on stage is to give them the best night I can,’ she continues. ‘The whole show is a reflection of my process in making the show – the bits where I got sad, frustrated, angry and where we had loads of fun dancing to inappropriate 90s tunes. Plus, there are water pistols!’
Bonna’s sense of humour allows her to delve into deeper topics without losing immediacy or playfulness: this is one bunch of lies that tells a profound truth. (Gareth K Vile)
82 THE LIST 1 Sep–31 Oct 2017
Richard Crane & Faynia Williams were the first dramaturge and artistic director of the Tron Theatre. To celebrate its 35th anniversary, the Glasgow venue has invited them to stage an adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s epic novel, The Brothers Karamazov. Exploring the author’s fascination with themes of faith, family relationships, justice and redemption, it stands at the front of the literary canon, and gives Crane and Williams plenty of theatrical material. ‘The audience in Glasgow should experience a new performance of a story that is classic and universal as well as topical and brand new,’ they explain. ‘There are no half measures with this show, as there were none with Dostoyevsky, whose major works arose out of his experience of a last-minute reprieve from execution and subsequent prison sentence in Siberia, where, incidentally, he lightened the load for his fellow inmates by directing them in vaudeville plays.’
This production fits elegantly within current artistic director Andy Arnold’s programming, mixing a classic text with contemporary theatricality, distilling the drama into a meeting between the four brothers with the cast alternating roles. Ambitious, and fully aware of the source’s depth, Crane and Williams both celebrate the classic and lend it a modern urgency. (Gareth K Vile)
SCOTTISH CLASSIC THE STEAMIE Dundee Rep, Mon 18 Sep; Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, Mon 9 Oct; King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 29 & Mon 30 Oct; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Mon 6 Nov
‘It seemed like a good idea at the time and luckily for me it was,’ says Tony Roper, author and director of The Steamie, which is currently embarking on its 30th anniversary tour. Despite his laconic reply, he is well aware of the reasons for its continued success. ‘It contains all the ingredients for a good night out. Laughter, tears and a happy ending.’
Roper’s sense of humour – as seen on Scottish TV in the likes of Scotch and Wry and Rab C Nesbitt – is one of the reasons for the affection that audiences have for this tale of a group of women in a communal wash house. ‘And it’s become a history lesson,’ he adds. ‘An entertaining glimpse into life as it was 70-odd years ago, before daytime telly, Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity.’ The warmth and compassion of the writing and the determined resilience of the characters, however, has prevented the play from becoming a mere museum piece. Roper is refreshingly blunt about the recipe for such a success. ‘Get a great cast, point them in the right direction,’ he says, describing his direction technique. ‘Light the blue touch paper and watch all the generations smile.’ (Gareth K Vile)