FESTIVAL REVIEW
people caught betyseeii citizenship. The play is extremely ambitious. and any \saltsofiiiauthenticity are amply compensated for by the \y riting. and extremer good performances by the main actors. (Ben Simms)
I Prisoners of Conscience ()II ( ‘entre 'l'heatre Company. Ill._‘\llam (noon).
SABINA
Sabina has an obsession with shit'.as a child her father yyould hit Ircr it she didn't defecatc and this induced yoluntary constipation and mental illness in the young girl. 'I‘hus she finds herself. aged IS. on the psychoanalyst .Iung‘s couch. and their relationshipduring her three years of treatment is the stibiect of Day id Sladen's neyy play. 'l‘acklirig on e. pain and psychoanalysis in an hour and a quartet isa lorrtridable task for tyyo actors. and little ricys light is shed on these \y eighty thernes here. the dey elopnierit of .lung and Sabina‘s relationship. from a purely professional one to a deeper emotional inyolyement. is tackled yyell I.ynnel\'eiidrick giy ing an assured performance as Sabina but the play ney er reaches a climax and suffers from some ayy kyy ard dialogue and uninspired direction. .lung‘s final distress at the resultsol their illicit allaii‘. itixtaposed yy ith Sabina's brilliant flashes of ys it. left me wondering is ho really had yy ho on the psychoanalyst's couch. ((‘ath l'rquhart) I Sabina and Jung-Love. Pain and Psychoanalysis II he Arte r 'I'heatre. Rifle Lodge. 53a Broughtoii St. (y'enue llll ). l5 33Aug (not Sun) 5. 15pm.
FREUO—THE KING OF BURLESOUE
Imagine an adenoidal Woody Allen and the .Marx Brothers getting tangled up in a tale about simple Malia l'olk. ’l‘he Stilletioni story is sloyy oil the blocks but once yye get onto the psy'chiatrist's couch the Marx Brothers soon giy'e anarchy the upper hand. As I-‘reud. Anthony Somer's (iroucho finds himself in a made to measure dream. yy ith rich yyomen flinging themselves not just at his feet but at arty ay'ailable part of his anatomy. If you‘re really desperate for gangster movies. the
i
pencil line moustaches. cod New York Sicilian accents. corruption in loyy places and tough talking might make a passable substitute. But it is the added bonus of Rhodri 'I‘homas's cley er one liners and the machine gun speed questions. target practice responses from the Marx trio that transform this into a pretty snappy shoyy. (‘I‘ineh Minter)
I Freud - the King of Burlesque Izssex t'niyersity.
'I‘he Izdge. l)rummond Street. (yenue l to) 33. 3“ Aug. I3..‘~|lpm and (‘anoiigate Lodge ( ycnue 5)55o 1388. 30 Aug. I ck 3 Sept. (i5llpni. .‘~.5ll(3.5ll)
35.
CUT THE GIRL’S TALK! THIS IS WAR.
’l'rarister 'I‘lreatre's neysly dey ised shoxy . ( ‘ut the (iirl's 'l alkl at the Mandela theatre. is a rnoy iirg account ol the isolated and infrequently heard experiences of the ysomen \\ ho is aited at home \s liile their men fought in the l-‘alklands War. the carefully documented material.
yy hich includes countless interyieyssyyirh yyiycsarid mothersof I’alklands
\cterans. is put together in
such a ys ay that it suggests not iust the experience of the l‘alklands conflict. but of other \yat's irt yy hieh yyoiiren liiid themser e.s bearing the psychological burdens of being left to “all for rteyys of their
on edottes.
this production differs from other media play s \\ hich haye recently surfaced about the l‘alklands \Var. because rather than settingout to make highly political statentcrttsor' lay the blame at a certain lady 's Number 'l‘en doorstep. it tocusses upon the disbelief oI hearing of a husbandorson'sdeath.on the gr iel and shock this catises. and aboy c all upon the support that yyoinen are capable of giy ing one another in timesof great distress.
()ne of the strengthsol the play is itsportability. lt requrres the minimum of props. and would be as suitable for a small space in a factory or school ason a stage in a theatre. Asked \s hether army personnel hay e been to see the slloys. the company said an RAI squaddic had come out of the theatre alter one performance. shaken by yy hat he had seen. It 'l‘ransler 'l'heatr‘e can get through the assault course ol military bureaucracy
I
FESTIVAL THEATRE
NEWPLAYS
and Intelligence red-tape. a performance of this play \yould be ideal for a barracks community. (NicolaRobertson)
I Cut The Girl‘s Talk! This Is War'l‘ransfer'I‘heatre. Mandela Theatre (\‘CtlllL‘ “lil'ntiIer.13.30pm. £.‘~.5ll(£3.'75). 'I'elzri53
US]:
THE ONLY WOMAN GENERAL
In a spaceship carrying plutonium yyaste. destination inliriity. (ieneral Supreme ()liy c \Viggiiis reliy es her life of chance promotion is ithin the t Army . I-‘rom childhood to \s hat \sc Iran to assume \y ill be her end. ()liye \Vigginsalysay's seemed to lose ys Iieii she
By using a ysoman to highlight the machismo and boundless bureaucracy that make ur' the ICS. Army . the Non-I'iction 'Iihcatre (‘o make their satire direct and pointed. the idea is concise and eley er. the script. hoxy ey er. seems strained to aecorrimodate all the action and ()liye iiey er' really takes hold as a character. the quick clips from ( )liye's life shoyy the energy and enthusiasm of the cast. liileen Wilkinson and J. Michael ('iirley . but are too short and too many to deyelop in any great depth. Interesting asa piece of contemporary political American theatre. (I.inda(iibsori) I The Only Woman Genera Non-I-‘iction 'I‘heatre. Institut l-"raneais I)'Iieriss (Venue 55) 335 5366. l'ntil 3 Sept. (ipm. £3 (£35m
THEIR TOWN
Inspired by the IVS-.7 general election results. and taking itstitle ironically trom‘l‘horriton \Vrldcr'syxork '()ur'
to“ n'. Stcye Blandlord's rieyy play deals \leIT the phenomenon of the ‘nor'th-south rliyirlc" in Britain. and tellsol tyyo outsiders‘ impressions of a Sotith-lzastern toys n ori polling day.
'I‘he play treads. and not alys ay s successfully. the thin line betyyeen lucid social comment and hackney ed political pointscoiirig the ‘otrlslders' lromthe north hayeholesintheir' shoes and can‘t find isork. yy hereas the yuppie southerrrers \s ear stripey shirtsand yote I'ory. But the east's enthusiasm and humour say es the shoys; there are some deliglitlul
cameo roles and some nicely obsery ed social mores. Very much the flayour of '87. is ith last year's pop music to boot. and an entertainingand thoughtful look at 'l'hatcher‘s Britain. ((‘ath L'rquhart)
ITheir Town ACTS (Venue 5). ('anongate Lodge 556 I388. l'ntil 37 Aug. ti.3llpm £3.50 (£1.50).
HEART OF GLASS
Heart of(ilass isa
sy nthesis of Western Pop Miisic (Duran Duran. Blondie). William Blake. Iixeerts from the Koran. a Pe rsian Poem and more. Andy Vernadc. Director ofthis Xtension Production. uses the words of Professor Brandon to describe it: 'Not just a play . but a reality project'.
A culmination of Syears oI thought. this shoyx is concerned yy ith combining the darker and lighter aspects of the human heart (symbolised by a red sphere) in a multi-cultural image of ( iod. The cast of is’. yy ho come from all oy er the \yorld. perform \yith real feeling. demonstrating the struggle \yithin tisall to reach peace. It is a bias e and international shoys. and it experiments yy ith an original idea. ('I'amsin (irainger)
I Heart of Glass Xtension Productions. 'I‘ic'l‘oc
'l‘heatre (Venue 7) 33‘)
DREAM MAN
In America the ultimate in safe sex is not the condom. but the telephone. You simply give your credit card number and your fantasies are fulfilled by the Dream Man.
In the hands of yy'ritcr James (‘arroll Pickett this indUstry created by the Aids panic becomes an allegory for the destruction of all types of human intimacy . There is a powerful lyrical quality to the writing which is brought out to the full by Michael Kearnsas ('hristophcr. At first it is almost funny as a born again (‘hristian ‘jacks off for Jesus.‘ Soon the fantasies become more frightening and reality interyenes in the form of (‘hristopher‘sex-loyer.
Although this is a gay one man show it isonc that should be seen by anyone who questions the moral majority. (Nick Dudley)
I Dream Mari: Theatreaction USA Mandela Theatre. (iateway Exchange. 3-4
Abbey mount (Venue 7") ()5: tl3l3 nix] . l'ntil 3 Sept. 13.30am. {3(1'3)
— THEANGRY KITCHEN SINK
'I‘his Pinteresque play introduces us to the claustrophobic \y oi'ld of a dead-end sea-side resort. yyhercoiily tyyotypesol people liy e: ‘the senile and the terminally senile'.
As in Pinter's 'I‘lie Homer timing. the action centres on the return of a son. Here it Is Micky . the middle son. yy ho returns to his home as a sell-made man to exorcise the memory of histamin . All the characters are deliberately stereotyped. and they are all yy ell played by this talented company Robert l-‘arquhar's script is full of insight into modern Britain and. at times. extremely funny the action unfolds the bitterness and shalloyy nes‘ oI tiiodei n behay iour. building promisiiigly to yy hat sliotild be a tragic climax. Iloyyey er. the author chooses to use the final scenes for a couple of jokes adisappointing end to a yyeIl-rounded perlormariee. (Ron Aitken)
I The Angry Kitchen Sink St (‘oluinba's By the ( 'astle (Venue J). 330 HI“ (check \s ith \enue for details). 9.30pm {3.5” (1.35“).
CRADLE- SNATCHERS
This is an iirtriguirigand \seIl-yy ritten piece ( though it soundsyery much like early Pinter). \yhich deals in an unsettling arid darkly humorous yyay \sith child abuse and sexual riy alry
. I think. As()liy er'and Vanessa prepare to go out. their coquettish babysitter Sarah arriy es “ith yyild eyes. and terrorises ( )Iiy er \y ith accusations of paternity. Sarah. it rapidly transpires. is unhiriged clearly traumatised by immature sexual experience andyylien Franz Joseph II ('liildminders turn up and start making phone calls to Australia things become rather urilathoiiiable.
\Vcll acted for the most part In ith strong performances from ( ’lare Simpson and .lane Beacham ) and unobtrusiy ely directed by \yriter \Villiam(’ook yyith David Scott. this play yy ill disturb and amuse: yy hat its gruesome imagery amounts to isanotlier matter. (Andreyy Burrict)
I Cradlesnalchers Keele- l'niyersity l.iye‘l‘heatre. I lcriot \Vatt 'l‘heate (Venue Tl33‘).‘\534. 37 Aug. o. l5pm £3 ( 9.3)
THE SAUSAGE PLAY/THE CAR PLAY
Mr Sausage and his daughter are in the process of tur ning Mummy iiiio sausages loi acelcbratoi'y least. they are also great enthusiasts of tltc .-\torn Bomb. this they sanctity \yith senteritious and religious moralisirigol the most reactionary kind. until Mummy'sghost.a charmingyxoiiiaii(played by director (‘ai'olirre Royybottom)yyliospeaks like an Alan Bennett character at In es to undermine their plot by conspiring “ith the audience She l.iils.the bomb drops. and because our inyolyeiiient has been demandcdby both parties. \y care loi‘cedto par ticipate iii her lailure. \\ ritten and directed by and starring Bo Morris. 'I'he ( Xir‘ Play is a little sell-indulgent. but nonetheless an interesting collage ot confrontations bctyyeen a thinking man's car thief ol the l-ighties and. \y ell. himself. I suppose. 'I he theme is hicli holds it together Is a Isllld of lelt-yyiiig interpretation ol the great I hatcherite ideals of l-ieedorn. Independence and Illdi\ iduality the ear. of course isa symbol of escape. but also iil materialism. one of this piece‘s main targets. Ari enioyable and tliotiglitliil double-bill. but the anarchy isslightly tame. (Andreys Burrict) I The Sausage Play/The Car Play ( 'ock & Bull. I’leasaiice (Venue 53) 55o b55ll. hold 3” Aug. Nooit. £3.5lltt35ll).
TALKING STORY
Along \\ ith Iiei lianccc. \Veridy I’etcis did \y ltat \s c all dream of doing: she packed lter I‘ags. grit tilt the first train and left. '1 “it years later she has yyritten an iritniiateshoyi around Iicr theory of tray cl. or ratlier . the Inc stages in the deyeloprrient of a tray ellcr: letting go. eriioyiiig the process. looking in the mirror. hay iiig faith and tr usting. and \yatehing the trim ie. I lcr sty le is relaxed and direct. and theaudience talk \\ltIl liei rather than merely being IlstL‘llels. Irrcyerent.criioyable and ultimately inspiring. this shoyx \sould giye the
The List 36 Aug—e 1 Sept IUSS 21