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THEATRE PREVIEW
arbaric Comedies
New dimension given to a neglected classic
There are plays within the canon of the theatre that are greatly revered by the profession, but seldom performed, because they’re regarded as difficult. Thus, we rarely see the work of a writer of the calibre of Edward Bond performed on our stages, despite his unquestioned status as one of the great dramatists of the last century. The Spanish equivalent is Valle-lnclan; a turn of the last century playwright much revered, frequently read, but almost never performed. Director Calixto Bieito has by now earned his reputation for taking on such difficult projects and making them work. Those who remember the visual splendour of his production of John Clifford’s adaptation of Life Is A Dream at the Festival of 1998 will have proof of this point.
Assistant director Stephen Gale gives us some insight into the difficulties of the text, and their resolution: ‘Like a lot of plays of this time it was written to be read. They were published in newspapers then. What we're trying to do is present, visually, the themes of the play, those old chestnuts sex and death, and religion and its opposite.’
Tracing the decline and fall of a noble Spanish family over several decades, the operatic scale of this Abbey Theatre production seems to suit Bieito’s style. So, too does the anti-naturalistic nature of the play. ’There’s a story, a narrative, but with this writer it’s like join the dots, except there aren't any joins, just dots. There are lots of theatrical jolts. So, for example, each of the sons of the family speaks in a different accent, there's no naturalistic uniformity. The objective isn’t to make it difficult for the audience, it's about building unexpected moments, so just as you get into a comfortable groove, the thing you most expect to happen doesn't,’ Gale says.
We're also promised visual imagery to dislocate our general story-making sensibilities. 'In one scene, two brothers are having a conversation. While they're doing it, one of them is having sex with a prostitute, while
DANCE PREVIEW
New York City Ballet
Balanchine act from New York
The International Festival is being very good to dance fans this year. Not only Will Nederlands Dans Theater 1, 2 and 3 all take to the stage at the same time, but New York City Ballet make a welcome return to the capital, eleven years after they last waited a point shoe our way. A ViSit from one of the most talented and innovative classical ballet companies in the world would be gift enough, but the programme they are bringing With them is a greatest hits package to remember. From the day he formed NYC Ballet in 1948 to the day he died in 1983, Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine created some of the most memorable works the genre has to offer. Nine of those Will be in evidence this August, including Symphony In C, which the company performed on its
the other is cleaning the flesh off a skeleton, to sell it to a hospital. The writer is clearly a precursor to things like Artuad's theatre of cruelty. It's all about jarring people's expectations,’ Gale says.
The universe presented here seems to be a blighted one, and the mindset is distinctly contemporary, according to Gale: 'In his lifetime Valle-lnclan went from being a traditional conservative to an anarchist. The world he presents is very like the one in Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. It's set in Galicia in Spain, but it could be anywhere. Most of all, I can’t believe how modern it is.’ Modern enough, indeed, to be not for the easily shocked, but the production has the potential to be a Festival highlight. (Steve Cramer)
:3 For details, see Hit/i'st, right.
opening night, and Symphony In Three Movements which stunned audiences in 1972 with its energy and originality. Equally prolific during his time with the company was co-founder Jerome Robbins, whose Dances At A Gathering is a definite highlight on the bill. And current ballet master Peter Martins completes the programme with his 1990 creation Fearful Symmetries, an exciting mix of pulsating music, dramatic lighting and the company’s hottest young dancer, Adam Hendrickson. The nineteen-year- old lS being tipped as one to watch, but as Balanchine once famously declared, 'the only star in NYC Ballet is the choreography’. (Kelly Apter) New York City Ballet (International) Playhouse, 74—78 Aug, 7.30pm; 79 Aug, 2.30pm 8 7.30pm, £5—f37.
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The early evening hits
The Donkey Show
All in the breast possible taste, of course. This 705 disco gross-out will have you bopping ’til you drop with gorgeous dancers of, male, female and a bit of both, and a plot borrowed from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. See review. The Donkey Show (Fringe) Club P/easance @ Potterrow (Venue 23) 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not Mon) times vary, £8.50-£10(£7.50-f9).
New York City Ballet
See preview, left. New York City Ballet (International) Playhouse, 473 2000, 74—78 Aug, 7.30pm; 79 Aug, 2.30pm 8! 7.30pm, £5—f37.
Barbaric Comedies
See preview, left. Barbaric Comedies (International) Abbey Theatre, Dub/in, King’s Theatre, 473 2000, 74-28 Aug (not 27—22) 6pm, £5-£22.50.
Birth Rite
Elizabeth Hess presents a one- woman show reflecting upon the trials and tribulations of her Mennonite upbringing. Strong drama follows as she recounts her movement into a less inhibited life style. See review. Birth Rite (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 22) 6.05pm,
£6. 50/267. 50 (£5. 50/f6.50).
Graft
George Dillon tells us of the life of an actor through a monologue based on Steven Berkoff’s book. The same advice about daughters and stages as Noel Coward, but delivered with more conviction. See review. Graft." Tales Of An Actor (Fringe) Komedia @ Southside (Venue 82) 667 22 72, until 27 Aug (not 74) 6. 10pm, £70 (£5).
Abandonment
Strong performances and a script by Kate Atkinson which rises to powerful heights in places makes this story of the parallel lives of a group of women in our own age and a women of the Victorian period compelling viewing. See reView. Abandonment (Fringe) Traverse Theatre Company, Traverse (Venue I5) 228 7404, until 26 Aug (not Mon) times vary, £72 (£7.50).
10—1 7 Aug 2000 THE llST FESTIVAL GUIDE 47