THE LIST
f l cuesr usf
: _ neosm THE BED ! i It is twenty-live years since I ‘ the Red Army Ensemble 1
marched into Scotland.
Margaret McGowan has
neverlorgotten it. The
all-singing and dancing
troupe. formed in the late
Thirtiesto entertain the
Sovietarmy. kicked up
excitementwhen they made
a special visitto Glenwood
School in Castlemilk where
she was a pupil in 1963.
‘We came out otthe
pertormancejustzinging‘
i she says. ‘It was so unusual to stage such a large event tree at a school during that
g time.‘ Margaretand her
friend Irene now hopeto
meetthe Russians thistime
E:
James L. Brooks
From Doom to Domestics. Sheena McDonaldconsiders ; mundandhavemmenm fl} howtheother half lives(and dies). . theTheatreRovaIintb. . " cuttings otthatheadyvrsrt -_ .. r A . . , inthe Sixties. ‘We'rejust Hunter.dedicatedreporter l lhere areonly. i headtn shame! . wamngm be m” byme Amen mocks WhOIaCksthe 1 “ml “N105. WW And so you would. if you had the “33' she adds_ charisma to present. and kindsof People. 1 energy. asit is.every Iastscrapis { The1963 Red Armyvisit Oscarnightin Hollywood golden boy William HurLa
holds special memories for a certain Glasgow Herald reportertoo. Apparently. he delayed his honeymoon to
This is a useful fact for columnists. in the same way that
takes place on11 April and. amongthe leading
contenders. with a healthy crop of seven nominations.
simplelellow withatace thatlits. ‘lt's basicallya romantic triangle.‘ Brooks claims. ‘buttheir
expended on trying to look cheerfully healthy. ()nly the hate dare malinger for a season — those who fear the tap-tap of Blind Pew
. . . . . .. .- . . . ~. . . . . . . . enlOYlheifSDEClacle. is Broadcast News. written. profession involvesalourth Ling" mL-n-‘m ‘NNUI h" mi “it ., l mammm a “dictum” level m i They'fe hacklUSt inlimelm produced and directed by character. which istheir i that homtltes have only. and always. l honhommic at m rude“ and ' a Silverwedding James L. Bmoks. profession: : lhrCL‘ Pmmb- I ruddiest. In public. In private. the performance. Brooks' first work since The mm matures a sly
Let's stick with the columnists this week — how do we divide the sheep from the goats'.’ Are people. for instance. drivers or pedestrians — or
Such was the interest of this 120-strong gang withoutthe Glasnost leeling. From all accounts it
his previous Oscar victor Terms Of Endearment. the film isa slick. humorous and brilliantly acted
cameo trom Jack Nicholson as a veteran network anchorman but it isthe performances otthethree
only animation resides in planning elaborate wills. incorporating | conditions and forfeits of malicious complexity.
both. with a twin set of prejudices. depending on whether you‘re trying
Ra-ra-skirt
seemsthattheirbrand of traditional entertainment is still in demand. The Red
romantic comedy set against the hectic backdrop otthe daily routine ota
principals that have been garnering all the praise. Brooks explains: ‘It was my
to cross Princes Street or drive along it'.’ It‘s a tempting division to rage about. but for the duration ofthis quinzaine. I choose another partition. which splits thus: there are Those Who Believe It Will Never Happen To Them and Those Who Are (‘onvinced ( )f Imminent Doom. After a happy lifetime strolling around the former camp. jeering amiany through the w ire at the poor suckerson the other side. 1 suddenly 1 find myselfone of the scorned.
' Army Ensemble are
' appearing at Edinburgh's l Playhouse and Glasgow's l
l
There is one compensation. which has a general and altruistic application. This year. the spring-cleaning will be done. The very idea ofobliging some grieving l relative. blinded by tears (of wrath.
I yes. yes). to wade through the hideous swamp of possessions which is simultaneously impeding your other-worldly progress through the eye of the needle — well. it certainly brings out the Mrs. Tittlemouse in me! Ancient li-Ios and lampshades are finally junked. boxes of superannuated Ioons. ra-ra skirts and espadrilles are shot at dawn. Most importantly. stray documents and polaroids of a sentimental — that is incriminating — nature. are gathered up in sealed envelopes marked ‘Return to X Without ()pening Unless You Definitely Do Want Singed Eyeballs‘. Forget about fear being the hunter — if you've had any life at all. he‘s definitely the housekeeper!
network television news room. The core of the lilm is the amorous and protessional intertwining ol three individuals: talented. workaholic producer Holly
conviction that the only way to really write atriangle. the only wayto mean it. and not just to use it as a sort ol plot manipulation. wasto notdecide loryourselt
Theatre Royal during April. See Dance Listingslor details.
[iarly bath
('all it hypochondria. call it l paranoia. call it (if you must) early middle age — the effect is dismal and. it seems. unshakeable. Every twinge and hiccup is a symptom. every inadvertent mention ofdisease. broadcast or read. a clear omen of a rapidly advancing departure. Without a doubt. it will be unpleasant. Above all. it will be ernbarassing. How on earth do you explain to friends and family that you're taking the early bath. l particularly to those who were I reasonably expecting you shoulder to be. in the fullness oftime. beneath their pine (i x 2. rather than vice-versa‘.’ Make no mistake — they're not going to be happy. Worse. they're going to be angry. How dare you! — they will say. We told you! Decades of intemperate self-abuse can only always end in tears. and it looks like being our tears. Selfish hound! Hang your
Stray polaroids
And why am I telling you all this? Well. you see. there are two kinds of people: Those Who Will Not Name Their Fear In Case It Tempts Fate and Those Who Reckon They Might Just (‘heat Fate By Publicly Acknowledging They Can Actually Hear The Sweep of the Scythe. And I just happen to be one of the people who always wishes they‘d driven down George Street instead.
The Red ~rmyii‘nsemble
2The list I 14 April WSS