Theatre
HYPERLYNX McGrath’s finale
For any playwright to be truly original they have to be a total pain in the arse. With John McGrath's work, this sentiment hits home with force. His last play, Hyperlynx is an unyielding attack on the hypocrisy of western society. Written as a one- woman show for Elizabeth MacLennan. his wife, it’s a satirical piece about a world without values. as multinational corporations use commercial presswe as a global weapon. and democracy and humanity become words without substance. McGrath‘s plays guarantee a Currency that's not only anti- bourgeois but anti- bullshit. (Anna Millar) I P/easance Dome. 556 6550, 14—26 Aug (not 20), 71.50am, £7—E8.50 (25—26. 50).
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Lale Mansur
ON THE EDGE Knowing mystery pastiche 0..
It's sadly easy to parody the ‘country house' murder mystery genre. but David Leddy goes beyond simple pastiche in this one-man show in which he plays all the roles in a COSy little mystery that embraces every cliche in the book.
Leddy's performance is strong and assured. easily swntching between happin stereotypical characters to unravel the dastardly crime. With frequent reference to Hitchcock. Shakespeare and eminent criminologists. the witty and highly original seript is only undermined by the borrowing of one Agatha Christie device too many.
Unusual and thought- provoking, Leddy Cuts almost fatally into the Crime writer's jugular. (Gareth Davies)
I Pleasance Dome. until 26 Aug (not IQ). 5pm, $760—$850 ($560—$760).
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Hugh Marsh & Mcrcan Dede
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LATIN! Alma baiter 000
Stephen Fry's play about a public school and the sexual proclivities of those within it. boys and masters. is a tricky affair. Darkly funny, in a well-bred way. it's also deeply serious in its study of the conventions of freedom. and freedom from social conventions. Activated image's production is equally hard to classify as the performers. though clearly capable. seem lacking in confidence. losmg the lightness of the play's humour. and the weight of its moral. That said. it is still aetitely funny. even if yeti aren't well—versed in the titular tongue. and you might even realise that when in Rome. it isn't always best to do as the Romans do. (Gareth Davies) I Gilded Balloon Tewot. 226 21:3 l, until 26 Aug lnot20), 7pm. F. 8. 50—}.‘9. :30 (USO—£8.50).
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THE BOMB-ITTY OF ERRORS
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From the tour way freestyle rap prologue right through to the Run DMC style blow out at the end of the show. you have to give tip ‘nuff respect to this talented guartet's hip hop adaptation of Sl’fakespeare's Comedy of Errors. Anti the whooping Wiggas in the audience
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I Plezisanee. .8536 (55:330.
until 20‘ Aug (not é’tli. 9.30pm, 58-7570 li\/"-i ‘Sli.
A prison of the mind I...
CORRESPONDENT
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The beauty of Rona Munro’s realist drama of prison life at the Traverse is its unwillingness to compromise with so many of the clichés that attend the form. Here there are none of the usual cheap pleas, no stuff about slopping out, hardship and brutality, nor about guilt or innocence, for this is a prison as much of the mind as the body. Springing her emotional trap with intelligence, Munro’s text sets itself up with a painstaking opening that pays off its audience with a passionate, psychologically complex
climax.
Within Anthony Mcllwaine’s gaunt, sterile grey interior, Fay (Sandy McDade) is reunited with her daughter Josie (Louise Ludgate) 15 years after the murder of her husband, leaving the girl to be raised by a bitter grandparent. Josie seeks explanations, for she remembers nothing of her early life, while Fay requires an affirmation that comes too close to
opening old wounds and tries to live out, vicariously, the life denied her by her confinement. Two prison officers — Sheila (Helen Lomax) a woman who feels she’s been emotionally exploited by Fay, and George (Ged McKenna) a self-improving benign paternalist with gender attitudes from before most of us were born — control and limit the emotional interactions.
Roxana Silbert’s production shows the courage of its convictions, allowing the pace of the piece to work as it should, and bringing out flawless performances from the cast. McDade and Ludgate fairly spark off each other, creating the kind of complexity that emerges with any parent/child relationship, magnified here by the context. McKenna’s performance creates some exquisite comic timing, which is very necessary to a generally downbeat play, while Lomax is exceptional, adding shades and lights to a difficult, because less well-defined, part. There’s more epilogue than strictly necessary, but this is a powerful night of theatre. (Steve Cramer)
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Gateway Theatre 2-26th August (text ept 14th) 9.30pm to 11.30pm (with interval)
Elm Row (trip and of faith Walk) Venue 7 llieatie ltox ()tlire: 0131 317 3939 llllllqt‘ Box ()llltei 0131 226 0000
70 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 8 15) Aug 200?