l
i comedy. directed by Hugh Godsal.
as part ofa project to save money for a landrover which will then be driven to Mali. West Africa. and donated to Euro Action Accord. (See Priority).
: 0 CHURCH HILL THEATRE Morningside Road. 447 7597. See
SpnngFHng. 0 KING'S 2 Leven Street,2291201. Box office Mon-Sat 10am—8pm. Bar. Rest. [D] [E] Napoli Until Sat 17 May. 7.30pm. Sat mat 2.30pm. Scottish Ballet. See Dance. Community Cavalcade 7 .30pm. Free. See Spring Fling. Scottish Opera Week. Tue 20—Sat 24 May. See Classical Music. Olde Tyme Music Hall Sun 25 May 8pm. £2.50 (£1 .50) See Spring Fling. Cabaret Mon 26—Sat 31 May. 7.30pm. Sat also 2.30pm. £5.50—£8. Wayne Sleep stars in the stage musical about life in early Thirties decadent. anti-semitic Berlin. 0 MANDELA THEATRE (At the Gateway Exchange) 2—4 Abbeymount. 661 0982. Catalyst Performance Art Group. See Dance. 0 NETHERBOW 43 High Street. 556 9579. Box office Mon—Sat 10am—4pm. 7—9pm perf. evgs. Cafe E [Molondog Rehearsal Workshops. Until Sat 17 May. 2pm. 7.30pm. £1 per session. UB40 free. A chance to watch a production in evolution and meet the cast and director and discuss the way the play develops. See Spring Fling for other events. 0 PLAYHOUSE 18/22 Grecnside Place. 557 2590. Box office Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. Bar. The Rocky Horror Show Tue 20—Sat 24 May. 7.30pm. Tue—Fri £5.50, £4.50, £4. Sat £6.50. £5.50. £5. Tue. two for the price ofone. The stage version of the cult movie with. incredibly enough. Bobby Crush as the sweetly transvestite Frankenfurter. . . The Mister Men Musical Wed 21-Sat
24 May. Wed-Fri 2pm and 4.30pm. £3.25 adult. £2.75 child. Sat. 11am
and 2.30pm. £3.50 adult. £3 child. ¢ Redgrave Theatre. Farnham in a
stage play based on the lovable Mr Men books. featuring Mr Happy. Mr Angry. Mr Topsy-Turvey etc. 0 ROYAL LYCEUM Grindlay Street. 229 9697. Box office Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. 10am-8pm on perfevgs. Bar. Rest. [D][E] The Mikado Until Sat 17 May. 7.30pm. Sat mat 2.30pm. £3. £4. £5.
Sat mat £3. Edinburgh SavoyOpera
Group in Gilbert and Sullivan‘s highly popular. Oriental operetta. PialTue 20—Sat 24 May. 7.45pm. Sat mat 2.30pm. £3.50 ('l‘heatreSaver holders £2.50) TAG Theatre Company in Pam Gems‘ play about the famous French singer (see Review).
Sweeney Todd Mon 26—Sat 31 May. 7.30pm. Sat mat 3pm. £3~£4.S() (Mon all seats £3). Tue 27—Thurs 29 May. Child. UB40. ()AP. Student and Disabled £1 offticket prices. ()ne free seat in every ten for parties often or more. Edinburgh Music Theatre (Amateur) in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical thriller about the infamous barber. Razor sharp'.’ (See also Classical Music)
0 TRAVERSE 1 12 West Bow. 226 2633. Box office Tues—Sun 10am—8pm. Bar. Rest. Tickets also available The Ticket Centre. 22 Market Street.
Kora Until Sun 25 May. Temp members £4.50; Econ members £4; Full members £3.50: Student. ()AP. UB40£2.50 (members £2). Students now bookable in advance. Reductions for more than one play ofseason booked. The first in a season of new plays by Scottish writers. Tom McGrath's Kora showsus appalling facts about life in a housing scheme just outside Dundee. (See Review).
— PUDDOK PROWESS
Well, yes. . . butbelieve it ornot, he lived at a house called ‘Puddok’s Leap’ long before taking on this latest one.
When Garry Stewart first began on the role of the Puddok, he took to going up and down stairs ‘crouched like Groucho Marx’ to strengthen his thigh muscles. It startled his neighbours. But the central role in David Purves’ play, The Puddok an the Princess, (returned fora second successful tour by Theatre Alba) is physically demanding. The irrepressible puddok (frog to Sassenachs) impresses sundry princesses with his physical prowess by his higherthan the average ‘loup’. The initial production wentdown so well that Theatre Alba managed to
- secure an Arts Council grant for their
present tour— an unusual state of affairs for Alba who, until now, have received very little in the way of subsidy, and one that at last affords them some degree of security. ‘It was
j only the company's committment to the
material that kept it going,’ says Garry. He has been with the company since its
1 inception, supporting its policy of
; presenting traditional Scots material,
I and says that It gives him the
opportunity to play unusual roles.
18The List 16— 29 May
1
THEATRE. LIST __
Traverse, Edinburgh
Tom McGrath’s ‘Kora' is a gentle, low-key play, that yet contains an ry comment. It began life as researc for a tv documentary, which ran short of funding, about life on a Scottish housing scheme. In one sense this was a blessing in disguise, McGrath points out in his programme note, as he feels
0 WILKIE HOUSE Cowgatc
The Odyssey. Thurs 15. Fri 16. Sat 17 May. 7pm. (Sat 17as part ofSpring Fling). Admission free by voucher from 'Ilieatre Workshop (226 5425) or on door b": hour before perf. Following on the heels of Lunga Ha's Monkey last year. Lung l la‘s Theatre Co. . a large cast of physically and mentally handicapped people. volunteers and experienced performers. present a piece of theatre about the exciting adventures of ()dysseus. as penned by Homer. using film. music. dance.
drama and slides to recreate the myth.
TOURING
Please check all venues if possible - they may be subject to change after press date.
Robert Burns Scottish Theatre Company tour David Hayman's production of'Joe Corrie's play about the Scottish Bard; a less than perfect play. but a production full of ingenuity and vitality that shows Bums as an angry spokesman for his people against the hypocrisy of church and gentry. (See Review). For further details please Scottish Theatre Co. on ()41 339 S777.
( 'itizens'. Glasgow Until 24 May. 7.30pm. (Sat 24. 4.30and 8pm): Adam Smith. Kirkt'aldy Mon 26—Sat 31 May. 7.30pm. (Sat 31.5 and 8pm). Tour continues.
Piaf’I’AG theatre company continue their tour of Pam Gems‘ play about the legendary French singer. with Terry Neason in the title role. directed by Ian Brown (See Review). For further details tel TAG on 041 429 2877.
liden Court. lni'erness Until Sat 17 May. 7.30pm. (Sat also 2.30pm). 0463 221718; Royal Lyceum,
K0 RA
: that drama is better able to portray da -to-day conditions and situations. ora, then, is a woman living on ‘The Skar', a dreadful, run-down housing scheme outside Dundee, and the play shows us life on the scheme through the device of an outsider, Flo. Flo, a student visiting the estate to gather material fora project, enlists the help of an architect friend to take on the local council and involve the residents in demanding improvements. In the first act McGrath gradually weaves in facts about conditions on the estate, in the second, about the bureaucracy that crushes initiative and change. The bones of his research are too evident in places, but he accumulates appalling , facts skilfully, and his picture of the callous, condescending councillor (Benny Young) makes your blood boll. Katrin Cartlidge sometimes seems ill at ease as Flo (see photo). Scenes where the local women relax and confide in her, or begin to find a corporate voice at tenants’ meetings, however, are sensitively handled in Jenny Killick's production strong performances from Alison eebles and , lizabeth Millbanlt) and the play says a : lot about bridging the gap between experience and education, and about resilientoptimismthatdeliantly flourishes against the odds., . personified in the mother-earth figure of Kora (Michelle Butt) herself. (Sarah Hemming).
lidinburgh Tue 20—Sat 26 May. 7.45pm. (Sat 26. 2.30pm also) 031
229 9697.
The Puddok an’ the Princess Return of Theatre Alba‘s delightful production of David I’urves‘ play about an
uppity puddok (aka frog) who. through a mixture ofcharm and bombast.inveig1es his way into the affections of a princess. (See Panel) For further details tel: Theatre Alba c o Assembly Rooms. Edinburgh on 031226 2427.
[)almarnot'k ( 'ommunity Centre. Glasgow'l‘hurs 15 7.30pm. 041 556 4776; Garthamlot‘k Community Centre, Glasgow Fri 16 7.30pm. 041 7740681: Third lfye ( 'entre. Glasgow Sat 17, 11am and 2.30pm. 041 332 7521 ; Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Tue 2(l—Sat 24 7.30pm.031225 3614; 4 Glen wood High, Glenrothes Tue 27
7. 30pm ; Theatre Royal . l)umfries
Wed 28 7.30pm. 0387 4209; Wallace Hall Academy. Thornhill Thurs 29 7.30pm. 0848 30294; Tron Theatre. Glasgow Fri 30 May—Sat 1 June. 8pm.041552 4267.
Writer's Cramp Borderline Theatre Company in John Byrne’s hilarious comedy about the trials and tribulations ofthe poet-cum painter, Francis Seneca McDade 1
For further details please tel Borderline on 02964 79648. Dundee Rep Wed 14~Sat 17 May. 7.45pm; Ayr Civic Theatre Tue 20 May 7.30pm; Palace Theatre, Kilmarnoek Wed 21 May 7.30pm: Stan wix A rts ( 'en tre, ( 'arlis‘le Th u rs 22 May 8pm: Magnum Theatre, Irvine Fri 23 and Sat 24 May 7.30pm; , Theatre Royal. Dumfries Mon 26 May 7.30pm; Tron Theatre. Glasgow Tue 27—Thurs 29 May 8pm; A berdeen A rts ( 'entre Fri 30 May
i 7.30pm.