TheatreReviews at a glance

Radio 0.0

dratna delivered as monologue

Beautifully written

concerning a young American from the town of Lebanon. Kansas ta name that's now weirdly resonantt. which lies at the dead centre it the l'mted States. The kid comes of age on 3| June. l‘)5tl. esactly ltall way through the century. at which point this all- .»\merican tnalc perceives the world starting to unravel into entropy. \Vriter Al Smith's heady llll\ of nostalgia and criticism ot the modern age is quite mesmerising. though given the minimalist staging ltere it might just as \k ell be enjoyed its it short story. (Rifles liteldet‘t ('Iuli'r/u'llt. 0870 745 J’llh'fl'. until 37,-lue. -J..t’()/mi. 18.5!) {9.5!} ([75!) with.

Shiver 0. What the brain forgets. the body remembers and reacts to. (‘hristina tls'ay Bridgemanl suffers from ‘shiyers‘ due to a long buried secret. 'I‘hen old friend Jacob ((irae ('leught turns tip. But she saw him die. Or did she'.’ Is the story simply ('hristina's guilty imagination telling tis \\ e \httttldtl'l I‘ept'ess tlte pusl'.’

l’art thriller. part ghost story. we repeat and re-repeat scenes slightly altered to create a suspense that highlights how easy it is to misrcmemher a memory you've tried In forget and how inaccessible the truth is. (inod performances atid a great concept are tediotisly delivered in Daniel Bye‘s circular production. (Lindsay (’orrl l’li'usuni‘t' ('ourty‘urtl. 550 (i550, () 37.-\ug (not 15. 33!. [2.35 pm. [8 (NHL?) th’),

Lolita O. Adapted from Nabokov"s controversial novel of the same name. director Andy McQuade leads a small cast in a story of a weak willed man’s surrender to tetnptation. While never actittg as advocators for sex offenders. the company do try to highlight the torture felt when a man‘s stunted sexual maturity leads him to destroy more than one life. (liddie 'l‘hornton) (' ('t'ntrul. ()870 70/ 5/05, until /5 Aug. /().l5/mi. f8.5()(t7.5()). A Tourist’s Guide to Terrorism 0 Three characters: American Christian. Pakistani general’s son and ex-IRA member. meet in the week of 0/1 l. liach with their own political and religious backgrounds they confront the extreme lengths some take for their cause. Delivered without conviction or etnotion. the piece regurgitates the usual attempts to highlight how we should respect different cultures. btit sadly fails in its attempt to progress the issue or say anything fresh. (Lindsay (‘orrl Sweet (irussnuirki't. ()t '70 24/ 0136. until [5' Aug. 7.50pm. f7tt‘6.) Polar Bears - A West End Comedy .0 lnhahited by lost souls spilled over from Generation X. Jim Kenworth’s play questions the racial stereotypes that are still so prevalent in multinational London. As his characters struggle to find some kind of identity. he explores the sexual competitiveness found within masculine social groups.

That few of the cast are accomplished actors doesn't really affect what is a hugely stylised script. It feels oddly like a combination of an episode of Bottom and a scene from A Clockwork Orange. A suspension of disbelief is

paramount in listening to the performers as they appear to read ott cue cards. once in the right frame of mind. however it's good for a chuckle. tliddie 'l‘horntont Smirnoff ('Iuli'rlu'lly. (I87!) 7455718}. until Aug 271nm l4). 3. l5/m1. £8.50 {9.51) I [7.51; insism. Milight Los Angles - 1992

0. Interview s taken from a cross section of the [A community pros ide the iiiipettis for .»\nna I)eveare Smith's play that has lost little relevance in the I5 years since Rodney King was brutalised by the LAM). A huge and on the w hole talented cast of high school students swamp the small studio space. detracting from the power of the eyewitness accounts they relay. Iliddie 'l‘ltorntntit (I ('luimlu'ry Stri’t't. (I87!) 70/ 5/05. until 13.41174. 5’. /5 pm. £8.51! (£7.50).

Havana Rumba! 00 The .-\fro-(‘uban sounds belted otit hy besuited salsa band Sonora I.a (‘alle are hot. and the booty shaking from the complementary dance troupe hotter still. But while Havana Rumba? is a treat for the ears and eyes (and it's impossible not to ogle the gorgeous men and women throwing shapes on stage). as a show it‘s a hit of a mess. The dance routines. which incorporate break-dancing and boy/girl pop hand coordinated moves. are strung together iii a fairly rudimentary fashion with some cheesy chat about the way of life in the ('uhan barrios. It would he better as straightforward song and dance.

(Miles l‘ieldet‘) slsyr'nilily‘ St George 's H’i'yt. 22!) 2428. until Zh’ slug (not [4). 8.45pm, [l3- [l3 (till—U2).

Miss High Leg Kick’s Fashion Bus 0 The moshcr. the bitnho. the tourist. the teen and of course the drunken letch.just some of the oddhalls found on btises. htit not half as

less pleasingly

strange as the representations seen in this show'. Set tip like a runway fashion show. the three actors parade tip and down the aisle in a camp freak show of extremities. Apart from a meagre giggle caused by Francesca Baglione’s seemingly elastic face. the piece seems about as worthwhile as an inflatable pin cushion. If you're in the Meadows and have half an hour to waste then hop on. otherwise jump on a real hits and go elsewhere. ((ireer ()gston) Dr Robert '.y I'l'lut'it' Bus. l"’f(l(]l(' Alvin/(Hr Hulk. ()77‘) ()23 5963, until 26 Aug (not 15). 4pm. 4.30pm. 5pm. 5.30pm. {flit}. Fish Story .0 Three very different people are drawn from their mundane existenees into a world where they're distorted and paranoid whilst awaiting instruction from the mysterious Fish. They seem to he in limbo. not quite human and not beast while they gradually retnetnber how they arrived at this state. The play sits uncomfortably between genres of absurdism. naturalism. comedy and physical theatre. making it hard to understand or believe in the world they create. The actors themselves are enthusiastic and work well together. creating nice moments of physical interaction whilst telling their stories but the piece lacks conviction. the narrative is confusing and the ending incoherent. It is wide open to interpretation so don't dismiss it. jUst

82 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZlNE 10-17 Aug 2006

The Writers' Guild

ItJLFestivalAwards

Theatre editor Steve Cramer rounds up some of this year‘s contenders.

At the end of our first hectic weekend’s reviewing, there‘s been no shortage of strong contenders for our writing awards. We value the traditional picture of the individual writer producing a script in isolation, then going into rehearsals with a company, but this should not be the only criterion in defining good writing. Such work as that of TEAM, whose scripts are produced collaboratively, must be in the running with Particularly in the Heartland. Meanwhile, Gregory Burke‘s Black Watch was produced along conventional lines, but shows an immense facility in the combination of languages of both word and movement. The shockingly brilliant Finer Noble Gases, by Adam Rapp must also be a contender for best newcomer, as well, perhaps as best new play, and given that adaptation is also a great writing skill, Tim Fountain’s version of Midnight Cowboy can‘t be put out of the picture. In fact, at the moment the field seems open, and the potential winners too numerous to name. Watch this space.

be warned. ((ireer ()gstont I’li'uyuni'v ('ourty'unl. 556 6550. until 28 .-\ue (not «8'. l5). 7.1/(l/ml. £9.51) {It/.5!)

((81)!) £9.01);

Banshees o .-\ storytelling competition between three banshees is the premise of Sitting Pretty Theatre's devised piece. What aims to be serpentine. haunting physicality. lacks

fluidity and discipline. The cast. which has been inesplicahly halved somewhere along the way. does little to animate a script comprising of clumsily hobbled together snippets of w ell« known tests. tliddie Thtit‘ttlttttt \i’lIlH‘ l3. Lot‘lu'ml ('lou'. ('unongult'. U707 42() /.t’/.t’. until [‘1 Aug. Aug 9 I2. 7.30pm. Aug /.t’ l‘). 2..t’ll/mi. £8 (£6).