Theatre
DISCONNECTED Four short pieces exploring disconnected human relationships
Disconnected brings together four short plays from two up and coming Australian writers. Gaylene Carbis and Michael Griffith. “The theme is disconnection and the malfunctioning of relationships in human nature.‘ says actor Melanie Thomson. ‘Everything is simple and minimalist. I think people come to the theatre to see actors onstage working their butt off.'
In one play. ‘Breakdown‘, fractured relationships are explored in a person‘s refusal to accept the phone voice message that ‘the number you have dialled is disconnected. ‘Truck' is about two cleaners who fail to connect with the real world. ‘lt's an absolutely hilarious piece. One of the characters tries to get attention by laying under moving trucks.‘ she says. (Andrea Harkin)
I Sweet on the Royal Mile, 0870 247 0736. 6—29 Aug (not 78), 9pm. 27.50 (650—25).
CHRONICLES: A LAMENTATION
Polyphonic spree
Grzegorz Bral. the director of Poland's Teatr Piesn Kozla (Song of the Goal Theatre) has already been acclaimed at the Festival. The work of his company is renowned for its atmospherics. And its latest show appears to be no exception: it has
theatre became a dirty word.‘ says James
Grieve, artistic director of ; nabokov theatre. After
the success of Camari/la last year, the company returns to the Fringe with Nikolina, another piece by feisty Aussie playwright Van Badham.
Following Nikolina, a young Croatian girl, the
. play divides itself between her life firstly in
her war-torn homeland of 1995 and secondly in
2000 as a refugee in Northern England. i Dealing with issues of ’ sexual consent and
British attitudes to foreigners and refugees.
the show promises to be another example of Badham‘s entertaining
but hard-hitting brand of
theatre.
“Political theatre doesn't
5 have to be boring.‘ says
Grieve. ‘We‘re aiming to provoke debate and not
be cut and dried.‘
(Corrie Mills)
I Pleasance Cavern,
0870 707 5705, 4—30
Aug, 7.40pm, 270—29
: (28.50-27.50). ' TAKE ME AWAY
Family comedy-drama in contemporary Ireland
Making a welcome return to the Trav for the first
FATBOY
for GLASGOW THEATRE see non-Festival magazine
time since its 2001 Fringe First-winning production Midden. Rough Magic presents this tragi-comic tale of father Eddie and his sons Bren, Andy and Kev, modern men all. As well as having their own problems to deal with. they are united in the cause of their mother, ailing in hospital, and with good news that no-one in the family knows how to react to. Written by Gerald Murphy and directed by Rough Magic's Lynne Parker. this promises to be an unsettling comedy drama (Gareth Davies)
I Traverse Theatre, 228 7404, 8—28 Aug (not 9.
7 6, 23), times vary, 2 75 (29—2450).
TEATRO DELUSIO AND
RISTORANTE IMMORTALE Two magical comic dramas in mask and mime
Germany's Floez theatre company received rave reviews for its 2001 Fringe production.
Ristorante lmmorta/e. This year, it's revived with Teatro Delusio. Floez' latest work, also done in mask and mime. This time the masked characters play out a comic and faintly tragic tale of a surreal life in the theatre. told from the point of view of three dreaming technicians. Says Hajo Schuler, co-author and actor in these Floez shows: “If we could explain our work in one sentence. we could stop doing it. It's for anyone who is ready to let imagination take its turn on them.‘ Special. magical and highly recommended.
(Gareth Davies)
I Ristorante Immortale: St Stephens, 558 3853, 23—30 Aug (not 24), 6.30pm, 272—270; Teatro Delusio: St Stephens, 558 3853. 63—22 Aug (not 70, 77), 6.30pm, 212—270 (25).
JEFFREY ABCHER’S PRISON DIARY - HELL
Convicted Tory criminal represented on stage
The multi-millionaire Conservative crook recently ‘banged up' in
Mike McShane leads in farce on the ethics of consumerism
Belmarsh prison loves jobbing actor James Rayment's Fringe adaptation of his prison diary.
After reading an early draft of Hell, former inmate FF8282 offered to assist Rayment and his stage alter ego. actor Andrew MacBean, with their research. ‘He generously answered our probing questions very frankly,’ says Rayment. Archer‘s generosity didn't end there. ‘He also donated the “Tigger” rugby shirt he wore in prison, for our costume purposes. and gave us signed first editions of the diary.‘
The result, says Rayment, is ‘like a Kafka play with (no longer) Lord Archer a modern Joseph K from The Trial.’
This may be of interest to those Sympathetic to Archer. On the other hand they might get healthy houses.
(Miles Fielder)
I Underbelly, 0870 754 3083, 5—29 Aug. 27.50—28.50 (2650—2750).
The fascinating sight of the Blair government joining the new right a quarter of a century late in dissing the
605 is an instructive and relevant sight. OK, maybe those who took Dr Timothy Leary's advise to turn on,
tune in and drop out were naive, maybe some folks made money out of rebellion, and maybe television wasn’t as good as it’s painted, but these aren’t what Blair is
afraid of. Perhaps he’s more concerned about an era in which the gap between rich and poor narrowed more rapidly than ever. These days on the telly, we only ever see a perpetual
shyster culture that makes us anxious to take out as many «I i.
PIECES OF EIGHT
Rewrite of Golden Age Hollywood history
Brian Sostek and Megan McClellan's follow up to last year's award- winning Trick Boxing is the tall tale of how product placement was invented in complete
: with fast and loose-
slung wisecracks and dance routines incorporating leg and
: waist work from the
rumba to the tango. ‘We've expanded our range to include a slapstick cha-cha and a piranha-hunting samba,’ say Sostek and McClellan. And what's
' with Golden Age
Hollywood? ‘Relative innocence pervaded movies of the 308 and 405$ say the dance partners. “Dance and music were considered natural elements of storytelling. Also, it's a distant enough place that we can mess with reality freely. We were
given a free pass to play with truth and get away
with it, and nobody gets a black eye in the process.' That's just swell. (Miles Fielder)
I George Square Theatre, 0870 350
607 7, 8—22 Aug. 2.30pm, 270 (27.50)
CIGARETTES AND
CHOCOLATE Anthony Minghella on absfinence
The power of silence is key to filmmakers. but playwright Anthony Minghella's celebrated
left a trail of critical praise all the way to New York City.
Retelling the oldest
and darkly comic drama (here performed by Bristol-based company the Convent, which
mortgages as possible, then never leave the house in case it’s deemed unclean or tastelessly decorated by ‘ passing curtain peepers. The attempt to make this " seem a natural state of human affairs goes on apace.
written epic of Gilgamesh, a demi-God who SOught eternal life. Bral's show is an ensemble piece drawing on the company‘s research into the European traditions of polyphonic Singing and the music of lamentation. Delvmg into the history of human emotions. this is theatre at its most poetic and expressive. (Corrie Mills)
I Aurora Nova (0) St Stephens, 558 3853 ,6 —30 Aug (not TuesdayS), 3.30pm, 2 7 0—28 (26—25).
NIKOLINA
Political Croatian tale 'I think for a while political
This is something John Clancy’s Americana
Absurdum group seems well aware of. A version of Jarry’s Ubu Roi, this piece satirises the consumer culture in a manner that looks consistent with such previous savage parody as Goner and Vomit and
‘_ Roses. This year, this high quality
, American company is joined by
Mike McShane in the Ubu role.
His portrayal of a man driven by
pure, relentless consumerism . should only give us pause for
thought after the dark fast- paced farce and laughter
subsides as we leave the
auditorium. Go see. (Steve Cramer)
I Assembly Rooms, 226
2428, 6-30 Aug.
5.45pm, 273/272 (272/27 7). See Offers Page (page 70) for2 for 7 tickets.
70 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 5—12 Aug 2004
returns to the Fringe after a healthy run last year with The Grimm Tales) is anything but silent. Gemma. having
‘ previously given up the
twin vices of C&C for lent, now abstains from talking. Her Silence provokes her friends and lovers to speak. and to Gemma they confess their sins. In this media- dominated age of
information and
relentless advertising. Minghella's parable has plenty of resonance.
(Miles Fielder)
I St Paul's Church, 556
0476, 6-28 Aug (not 8.
75, 22), 77. 70pm, 5:7 (25).