THEATRE | PREVIEWS & REVIEWS

POST MODERN THANK YOU VERY MUCH Couper Institute, Glasgow, Thu 31 Oct–Sun 3 Nov. Reviewed at Manchester International Festival ●●●●●

Claire Cunningham’s sense of playful adventurousness has seen her explore multiple genres spectacular aerialism, dynamic choreography, theatre / dance hybrids and complex themes with an emphasis on her own autobiography. Thank You Very Much, despite its unlikely celebration of Elvis Presley tribute acts, continues in her tradition of making performance that is intimate, cerebral and emotive, meditative and positive, with a powerful eye for the striking visual moment. While she has never lost her distinctive humour, her ability to collaborate allows other performers to share the spotlight and develop her inspiration into a comprehensive reflection on the relationship between the movement of performers with disability and the impersonators of the King of Rock’n’Roll.

Four performers Cunningham, Daniel Daw, Tanja Erhart and Vicky Marlin are joined by the voices of five tribute artists. Each live performer is given an episode, to relate their experiences to the mentoring of a tribute artist, while Cunningham introduces and concludes with her own early memories of Elvis and the connection she felt with the svelte star of the Comeback Special.

An apparently casual structure reveals a series of profound connections: questions of how movement marks out an individual, how the specifics of certain Elvis moves can be broken into a sequence, and how the tribute artist finds an echo in the experimental, live art- tinged processes of Daw, Erhart, Marlin and Cunningham are placed at the service of a gently thoughtful and richly emotional journey. (Gareth K Vile)

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MODERN REVISION THE DUCHESS [OF MALFI] Tramway, Wed 4–Sat 21 Sep. Reviewed at Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh ●●●●● MUSICAL LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 12–Sat 16 Nov, Reviewed at King’s Theatre, Glasgow ●●●●●

FILM ADAPTATION SOLARIS Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 12 Sep– Sat 5 Oct, and touring

Zinnie Harris’s daring, contemporary take on The Duchess of Malfi opens with the eponymous Duchess singing alone on stage. Tentative at first, she eventually warms to this act of self-expression and agency until abruptly, two men appear on a looming bridge above her and the moment is broken: the lights shudder, the music jars, and the Duchess falters. This fleeting exposition of male domination over female independence sets the scene for Harris’s fresh approach to this oft-told tale.

The Duchess [of Malfi] exposes the disturbing

cruelty of gender oppression through to its visceral end. Strikingly, Harris does not shy away from the physical and sexual violence these women endure in this Citizens Theatre production, but rather recovers the subjectivity of the female experience within it; in one of the most extraordinary scenes of the play, the women band together, drenched in blood, and occupy the stage, if not as a corrective to male violence then as an act of stark resistance to it. Superbly acted by a consistently strong cast, led

by Kirsty Young’s vibrant, defiant Duchess, The Duchess [of Malfi] renders John Webster’s play as timely and relevant as ever. (Anahit Behrooz)

90 THE LIST 1 Sep–31 Oct 2019

Despite its cheerful title, the 2006 film which inspired this musical is a darkly comic road trip story that deals with themes such as sexuality, death, drugs and suicide. It perfected the bittersweet tone between goofy family adventure and outright tragedy: not always the easiest mix for musical theatre. The plot sees a family of mismatched

personalities travel to California so their youngest, the perpetually delightful Olive (played by Evie Gibson), can participate in a beauty pageant. The upbeat opening number, about how all of our endeavours fail, epitomises the tone of the show. When Gibson’s happy, high-pitched voice cuts through the pessimism, it’s like a beam of sunshine.

Though a few songs are repetitive or overly long, many have the catchy, witty and moving qualities of classic show tunes. A particular highlight is a number about the joys of sex delivered by Olive’s grandpa (Mark Moraghan) it’s not an outdated joke about a bad grandpa or a cringe-worthy spew of lewd suggestions; it is hilariously taboo-breaking.

Little Miss Sunshine is a show that knows how to provide feelgood fun and still respect the intelligence of its audience. (Flora Gosling)

A new collaboration between Malthouse Theatre Melbourne, the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh and the Lyric in Hammersmith, David Greig’s adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris promises to wrestle with huge themes of outsiderdom, love, grief and constructed truth.

Directed by Malthouse’s Matthew Lutton, it aims to be both chilling and humorous. Greig says: ‘I had no idea Stanislaw Lem’s book was so funny, so moving, and such a fascinating philosophical disquisition on the eternal human problem of our relationship with “the other” - whether that other is a person, a planet, a lover or a monster.

‘The premise is simple: there are three scientists

on a space station orbiting a great planet, a psychologist arrives to check on their wellbeing, and strange things start to happen is the planet communicating with them? Or are they imagining it? Is it a god? Or a demon? Or a child?’ With legendary film and theatre actor Hugo

Weaving portraying Gibarian on video, and Keegan Joyce as Ray, Jade Ogugua as Sartorius and Fode Simbo as Snow onstage, this existential sci-fi production should be in safe hands. (Lorna Irvine)