FESTIVAL THEATRE | Previews
HORIZONTAL COLLABORATION / CITY OF THE BLIND Scottish pioneer's double whammy of political intrigue and horror
David Leddy is looking for actors. Since his new play, Horizontal Collaboration, requires a fresh cast of four for every performance, he needs about 120 of them to see him through the Fringe. And no one can do it twice. Leddy, whose works include comic take on the art world, Long Live
the Little Knife and audio play Susurrus, likes to break new ground with each new project. Horizontal Collaboration and its companion piece, City of the Blind – a downloadable drama for phone or tablet – are political thrillers about the work of the United Nations.
‘It’s an organisation that overshadows all of our lives but most of us know little about how it works,' he says. ‘I’m interested in whether or not the UN is a good thing. One of its major failures is the problem of peacekeeping soldiers abusing local people. Also, its track record for dealing with whistleblowers is pretty shabby.’ While City of the Blind tells the story of a whistleblower trapped in a web of surveillance and counter-intelligence, Horizontal Collaboration is about four UN lawyers brought in at short notice to read the testimonies in a tribunal relating to the wife of an African warlord. The plays are a mixture of research and fiction, though Leddy notes: ‘Unfortunately, the most outrageous and horrible things are true.’
‘City of the Blind is a big, epic, complicated narrative in six parts,
the theatrical equivalent of a DVD box set,' he says. ‘Horizontal Collaboration is a tight, minimal hour. They’re like a vast symphonic work and a chamber piece. I’m interested in manipulating what theatre is . . . I don’t think people are worried about what form it takes as long as there are real stories, real emotions and real questions about how the world works.’ (Susan Mansfield) ■ Horizontal Collaboration, Traverse, 228 1404, 1–24 Aug (not 4, 11, 18), times vary, £18 (£13). Preview 31 Jul, £12 (£7); City of the Blind, Traverse,1–24 Aug, online download at davidleddy.com, £8.99.
P H O T O © A C K W A L K E R
MANUELITA Unsung female revolutionary in the spotlight
PARTY IN THE USA! Dynamic physical take on economic collapse CUTTING OFF KATE BUSH Eccentric songstress inspires new family drama
'As a South American, you somehow automatically know about Simón Bolívar’, says Tamsin Clarke. ‘He is a hero and an ingrained part of history. However, I had never heard about Manuela Sáenz. She was supposedly his lover and companion for many years.’
Written and performed by Clarke, accompanied by award-winning guitarist Camila Menjura, Manuelita is a journey through the life of Manuela Saenz (1795–1856). ‘She was a fighter – believing in a cause and working hard to see it through til the end,' Clarke adds. ‘She overcame the tedious rigors of society and made changes in opinion in a rigid world that was very male orientated.’
Clarke spent time in South America (including her mother’s native Venezuela) tracking down stories of Manuelita, then weaving them into a musical performance to show off the good and the bad of a woman who excited a revolutionary continent.
It's an honest retelling of the Bolívar tale through
an unsung female hero. Clarke concludes: ‘She is a true legend – part fact, part fiction and full of fancy!’ (Barry Cooper) ■ Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 12), 12.40pm, £8–£12 (£7–£10). Previews 31 Jul & Aug 1, £6.
82 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014
Twentieth century theatre loved a post-apocalyptic script: from Samuel Beckett’s bleak visions of loneliness to the total war of Caryl Churchill’s Far Away. For director Joshua William Gelb, an afternoon spent shredding documents while on LSD gave him a unique insight into the Credit Crunch, the first apocalypse of the 21st century.
‘I tripped for the first time back in 2008, when I was temping at Deutsche Bank’, says Gelb. ‘My job was to go through company emails that could potentially incriminate the bank. I just put in my hours, got paid, and partied on the weekends.’
Playwright David McGee uses acid as a metaphor
for the disorienting effects that the collapse of the economy had on everyone. With wild humour, a dynamic physical theatre approach that mirrors the impact of psychedelic drugs, and a plot flitting from New York penthouses to anarchic Berlin squats, Party in the USA! is a belligerent, yet thoughtful critique on the chaos of economic corruption. As McGee concludes, the financial crisis is far
from over: ‘things are falling apart and the centre is as sure as hell not holding.’ (Gareth K Vile) ■ Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 3pm £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £7.
With Kate Bush touring for the first time in 35 years, Cutting off Kate Bush arrives at the right time. Lucy Benson-Brown channels the Gothic undertones of Bush’s music to create a new take on family politics, with young Cathy returning home and attempting to come to terms with her father’s new relationship.
Certainly no tribute act, the play explores the
tragedy and comedy of moving back home and it is the honesty of Bush’s music that makes for ideal theatre, according to Benson-Brown. ‘I remember being aware of Kate Bush as a teenager, I vividly remember ‘Wuthering Heights’ . . . and my mum singing along’, says Benson-Brown. ‘Bowie, Pink Floyd, Bananarama, Genesis, Spandau Ballet, perhaps even Madonna, would have shaped a similar story because it’s inspired by the music that my parents listened to, it’s just that they wouldn’t offer the same magic as Kate Bush. Her music lends itself so well to dramatisation.’ Featuring hits from the eccentric songstress as
well as Bush-influenced dance routines, it promises to capture the revived passion for the ethereal Kate Bush while telling a very human tale. (Barry Cooper) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 1.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.