Theatre

The Bald Prima Donnatvvlum I'lu'utn' ('unipunv. Konu'rlui Roman latte/e lmlet'. llItl/l 36.41412 4 55pm. Recognised as the lirst mayor work ol the Theatre ol the Absurd. lonesco's one-act comedy is go en a hilarious production by this lrish company.

88 I)ll('l'\( .llll'rlt IIIIII\. tlttlll l5. glue. VJ’U/Hll Show about lamilies. pcrlormed by real lile lather and daughter. Beautiful Thing I)rummmul Street (‘nni/umv. .Ilueuvtuu' 'v. H /r\'.vlue. .t’. [Sp/n. Much loved gay romance by Jonathan Harvey. now better know it as the author ol (irnmu‘. (immux (immuand the Pet Shop Boys musical. Bedbound 0000 Theatre. until 35 slug. tmu'v HIM. See I‘l’l'lt’lt. Ben Moor and Janice Phayre: Three Wishes lien .l/mn; I’lt'tivum't'. iuttil 27xlue. ‘l‘pm. Romantic comedy abotit the issues that arise when you get what you wish tor.

Ben Moor: A Supercollider for the Family lien .llmn; I’lt'tlHl/lt't’. Illllll :TAHU. Ilum. Romantic comedy revived lt‘ttlll success in 1007.

Beowulf (ireiu/el I’rmlut't/onv, (intently 'l‘lu'utn'. until 37xlue. 4. /.",mr. li‘ish company revives classic medieval epic poem. lull ol adventure and mystery.

Berkoff’s Hell & Dostoevsky’s Dream of a Ridiculous Man coco I'll/('(l (lt'lH'L’t’ Ill/lint '\ \tltll 'I'lu'ull't'. Hill Street ’I‘lu'utre. lllll1/273lllL'. 5.55pm. liei'koll on the l'ringc is nothing new; but there can be levv actors who have brought such pow cr to the old goat‘s words as (icorgc Dillon. :\ compelling pcrlormcr with an astonishing command ol his abilities. Dillon seems not to know the meaning ol the word “autopilot”. lle's lully switched-on at all times. weighing tip every sy llablc and gesture t'or niavimuni impact. llis Berkol't’ monologue. pcrlormed entirely lrom a dimly -|it wooden chair. is excellent. shot through with darkly comic touches and giv iiig him plenty ot scopc tor subtle shilts ol mood. lt‘s when he moves to the l)ostocv sky and is suddenly mobile that

[trial l'l‘utt'rvt'

Coriolanus Old College Quail. I I - 3/ Aug. 9.30pm. Shakespeare's tragedy about a patrician general with a mother fixation who rejects the voice of the lower classes greatly to his cost is. I confess. a personal favourite of mine. In a society that seeks to dilute plays with a direct political discourse. this classic has been largely shunned by the British theatre establishment. lts record on the Continent is much stronger. It was among Brecht's favourites. and has often been produced in politically charged times throughout central Europe.

This site-specific production by Poland's Teatr Modjeska. which will take place in the Old (‘ollege Quad ol Edinburgh University promises all the action. spectacle and violence of the plays premise. In addition. there'll be that aspect that provokes squeaiiiishness in most British audiences. politics. Director .lacek (ilomb was a leading supporter of Solidarity in the days before the old Sov ict satellite government fell. and has gone on to attack the rapacious and exploitative class- based gtfi‘Cflllllt‘lll which has since replaced it.

This production promises to deliver some relevant coiiitnentary on our own society. too, since wherever there's an unbalanced class system. there's an appropriateness to ('nri'olunus'. With a live rock band. the radical Polish underground band. Korinorany. we can look lorward to a night of sound and fury. with actors moving among the audience as part ol‘ the show. (Steve (‘rameri

.'|."r.I.«': tout/tot; to. o 'a i inor's strike

his barbed diction is matched by a very dangerous. unhinged physical presence. 'l‘wo captivating pcrlormances which should not be missed. lx\l;t\l;tll' Mabbotti

Berkoff’s Women .vlvvt'niltlv Rtmmt. /.v‘ glue. 5.45pm. last year's ll‘ltlg‘t‘ hit returns to the Assembly Rooms. with powct'ltll tales ot' l'eiiiale tribulations.

Best Friends ll'ru'purt l’rmlut'tmnv. (' lielle tinge/e. until 3/) .lue. 7,45/mi. lsraeli writer .-\nat (ioy 's comedy about lt'ottbletl relationships between three women.

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Dally Mutt on Hauling Ulil‘l lr/ Mm Viiiiwmum, triage 3000

8: I'I'tlltllt Rt’tlltt'u’tl l’tlultlt llultv. (ion/re l’ltmr llott'l. tllllll 3’) .lu'c'. /. l5/mi, Drama about relationships and power Bill and Ted’s Excellent Musical Adventure l’lt'tivtuu ('. tl/llll IN .lue. 4.05pm. .\lost bodacious reworking oi the superb :\lllc'l'lc‘;tll liliii comedy. The Party /\’l’tl\('l (‘l .Nrtlllll llrulee Rt'u'llltt' (tut/'4'. l." 33 glue. 3, l.‘-/lttl. llarold l’inter's menacing classic. Bitter Thorns I)('/’(l( ll' Ill('tlll't' ('u/ii/uuiv. .lueuvttiu"v. lsl /(/.‘lllL'. 5.55M”. l’iecc about the altci‘iiiath ol the tall ol 'l‘roy. with both mythic and contemporary tllllhltills Black Armbands ltn me .'llll'tl( 1mm. until l.\' .lue. l/Jflmi. Monologue about a young man on the verge ol' a nervous breakdown who has been abusing his child. Black Comedy lovt I'lu'utn' ('omlumv. (' l'Iule/grourul. until /x\'.lue. mum. l’etci‘ Shatter's clever larce in which dark is light and light is dark. Blithe Spirit I'lu' .llulau'v tuul l)..\l.l).( .llurrtnlleltl l’urtvli ('lturt li Hull. /5 :5 lug. _..\‘U/tttt_ lidinburgh amateur clubs team up tor Noel (‘ovvaid's evergreen spooky comedy. Blood l’lt'uvtuu e. Illllll Silug. Imu'v iurv. ('anadian play which evaiiiines the lives ol two siblings allectcd by prostitution. drug addiction and alcoholism. Blood 8. Roses mm] [mi/iv llu'utl'c' (‘oni/umv. (' lllltlt reroulul. ltlllll 3/: clue. ". /.‘_/mi. To say that 'l‘restle 'l‘hcatrc (‘ompany has been around the block is something ol an understatcmcnt. Here is a theatre company which has honed their instantly I'L‘c‘tigttlsal‘lc l‘t'alitl til. iiiask-bascd physical llic‘ttlt‘c‘ til \ttc‘c‘L‘sslH‘ l‘i‘ingcs tor over a decade. its latest show cyliibits the best oi~ that tradition Based on the story ol l.aiiibert Simncl. a pretender to Henry Vll's throne. lllmul uml Roses llits between the kitchens and battlelields ol 'l‘udor l'.nglaiid. With a cast w hose ensemble work you would describe as being militarily precise. it that phrase didn’t sound so cold. Trestle can still stun with its ingenuity. timing and sheer stagecrat't. Yet untortunately tamiliar \\ caknesscs reveal themselves as \y ell. The lc‘\l is rather cliched in sections. particularly the conclusion. and there‘s no real point to the piece apan trom the lact that it‘s a mildly interesting story. Still. you could watch 'l‘restle act out a shopping list and it would be riveting. r'l‘im .-\brahams Blood Knot l\'( '5 Theatre ('ompunv. 'I‘lu' (ruler/telly. l3 Joxlue. ill/pm. liirst

Berkoft's Hell

A compelling performer with an astonishing command of his abilities

pcrlormed in secret in Johannesburg in Not. :\thol l-ugard's misediacc play eventually made its way to Broadway It's about racial identity and the imagination.

Blood Wedding Ilu' llertv tt- Sui/1v llu'utu‘ (imi/hllfl. lv’ot let (U .81 .lolin'v llttll. l." IN glue. ll)._‘llum. l.oi'ca‘s powerlul Spanish tragedy given a physical interpretation by this .-\-|ev cl group.

Blue Remembered Hills Illt' ly’t'p llu’um ('oni/umv. (' too. l." 35 xluu. INSIl/ml Dennis l’otter's play. originally written lor television. in which a day out lor a group ol children ends in tragedy.

Blue Remembered Hills ('lttll'lt'l‘ltntlvt'. Rot Let t“ lv’oml (‘olleei' of Sureeonv. lqu .rlue. ENS/mi. l)eiinis l’otter's hard-hitting childhood drama.

Book of Secrets .Ilnu'ruun High School Theatre I'i'vtnul. (‘liurt li III/l 'l'lu'utre. until ll slug. trnu'v iurv. Student multimedia production.

Born African (her the lat/Lu: .vlueuvtnu' 'v, unit! 3/) slug. 7, lipm. The contemporary lace ot Zimbabwe represented by a white accountant. a coloured youth and a black

Bound To Fly lluml'lvtt'tl,'. (irev/I'uirv Kirk Ilouve. until 3/) glue. 9.50pm. lcartis myth translcrred to the Isle ol Wight by Dartmgton ('ollege students.

Breaklast Not Included .Nutttttulumi .Vt'iy lltt’ttln‘. (‘ H'Itlu'. lUtIIl 2/) glue. 4. Ill/mi. Nottingham New Theatre presents Alison ('arr's comedy about live hotel guests seeking l(l\ C.

Brighton Beach Memoirs .-i rkle 'Ilu'utn' (’mri/umv. llu'utn' Ark/e. /.l-/r\' glue. 7.45pm, Neil Simon‘s nostalgic btit moving biographical comedy about grow ing tip Jew ish in the New York til lllL' 30s.

Broken Blossoms 0000

.\'¢'eutrv'equltv. (‘ venue. unttl 2/) Aug. 5.30pm. ‘llow you grow when you smile.‘ says suuor ('heng to Lucy. a china doll-like girl whose spirit has gradually been broken by her ahUsive lather. lnspired by l).\\'. (iril'liths' little known silent film. llmken Iilmwniv. this play leatures tour characters. each trapped in private pain. Written by Peter Machen. it tenderly portrays the developing relationship between a lragile. liast-lind girl and a ('hinese man determined to bring colour into her life. But Daddy will not let them be.

The characters' internal torture is el't’ectiv'ely physicaliscd by the actors of Negativequuy. as