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Your chance to see some of the best shows in the Festival! You may claim as many different offers as you wish, but only one pair of tickets per voucher, on 3 FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS. Please take the whole magazine along with you each time. All offers are subject to availability and the individual management's decision is final.
ENJOY THE SHOW!
k x The Grassmarket Project’s Bad
inmates of local juvenile detention centres, but also the liberal-minded theatre professionals tell their story in a no-holds-barred confrontation with our prejudices, limitations and ultimately our common humanity.
Yes, there are awkward, soul-searching passages of improbable dialogue; yes, there are unruly passages where the focus is quite lost on the excellent cell block set; but yes, there is a wild and untamed force communicating through the imprecision, making this the most extraordinary production you will see this Festival. It could be a lot better, but it’s well and truly Bad. (Mark Fisher) Bad (Fringe) The Grassmarket Project, Ainslie Park Leisure Centre (Venue
v THEATRE 5 ? er '
It's scruffy, it’s unkempt, it’s unruly. 1 There are tatty edges all overthe place. I i
LIVE BED SHOW
A pair of tickets to see Arthur Smith's play on Mon 26 Aug (10pm). Tickets should be picked up at THE ARC BOX OFFICE on Fri 23 Aug.
Up to 4 pairs available.
It bears the hallmarks of a devised performance — scenes and conversations fade with no precision, certain actors repeat themselves needlessly, and even at the end, the l audience has to be given official « permission to clap.
But for all the misgivings of a seasoned theatre-goer, this is a remarkable performance. If onlytorthe moments of pure energy, life, anger , and violence it demands to be seen.
SHANGHAI TARO BUTO KOUSHI
A pair of tickets to see this Japanese dance group on Mon 26 Aug
( Using the same formula that made the j down-and-out drama, Glad, such a hit, | directorJeremyWellerIets notonlythe i
I l l
(£4).
i 130) 551 2400, until 31 Aug, 6pm, £6
feet.
No traditional music here. but contemporary Iinglrslt pop folk played on guitar. mandolin and electric bass with occasional keyboards. The three lads write their own songs. Damien Scott beingthe social conscience and Pete (‘adelbach the more whimsical spirit. while Tim Warren sticks to vocal harmony.
Upbeat. energetic and entertaining. the band have been supporting the Iikesof Kathryn Tickell and building an audience in widening ripples from their [.akeland home. (Norman Chalmers)
I Boat ThieI(Fringe) Acoustic Music Centre (Venue 25) 2202-16124. 25 Aug. b.30pm; 25 Aug. 10.30pm. £3 (£2).
V THEATRE
‘characters ofthe American subconscious‘ that perform in an
improvisationaland
l
interactive mode. Linking surreal images
3 with subversive text in an
underground parody of a
; post-postnuclear society.
the cabaret structure is frequently interrupted by surprise caricatures and
sub-plots that add to the
i unpredictability ofthe
show. While the visual effect of the puppets is remarkable. and the dark tone ofthe humour unsettling. there is alsoa sense ofthe material being thin and unable tosupport the impact of the images. creating a feelingof inCompleteness and disappointment. (Michael Balfour)
I The Vision Of Nostrildamus (Fringe) Big Nazo. Theatre Workshop (Venue 20). 2265-1225. until 31 Aug. 7.45 pm.£5 (£3.50).
diminishes the chances of ()AI’s surviving and reduces all acting (ifthat‘s what you do with Shakespeare) to bellowing pro-jec-tion. but also blows away the pretensions usually attendant on the Bard. This is the most entertainingand engaging production of Shakespeare I‘ve seen — it may lack depth (it's difficult to be intense when your props are being carried towards Leith). but doesn‘t require force-feeding during Highers to understand. While the backdrop of the Acropolis is wasted (the sun sets behind it. blinding the audience
some ofthe time) fine use is made of the surrounding ‘
hill and trees. With energetic. comic
performances, this was an
Event. with an audience doing things that would make the RSC shudder;
(12.30pm). Tickets should be picked up at THE ARC BOX OFFICE on Fri 23 Aug. Up to 4 pairs available.
N0 LAUGHING MATTER II
A pair of tickets to participate in a lively discussion on Sat 24 Aug, Sun 25 Aug and Mon 25 Aug in The Pleasnace Cabaret Bar. Tickets should be picked up from THE PLEASANCE BOX OFFICE on Fri 23 Aug. Up to 2 pairs of tickets available for each event.
FILM FESTIVAL
A pair of tickets to see one of the
following films: The "SURPRISE ‘ FILM“ (23 Aug), Sgt. Kabukiman (24
Aug) or Comrades (25 Aug). Tickets should be picked up from THE FILMHOUSE BOX OFFICE on Fri 23 Aug. Up to 3 pairs available.
THE vrsrou or eating. renamecmoymg COMIC ABUSE themselves. 3 m Take several blankets A pair OI IleetS to 589 com“: Abuse i A cross-eyed combination and a thermos etc. i ' ofbizarre cabaretfreaks. (Stephen Chester) on F“ 5am)' TleetS environmentalcrisis. Shakespeare forthc lembellne(Fringc) ShOUld be pleBd Up from the
visual grotesquery. dance and irreverent performance style. Big Nazo‘s distorted. life size foam puppets create
Sadie-Maisic set or ! suicides who decide on hypothermia.
The wind which howls
; across Calton Hill
Wales Actors‘ Company. Acropolis. Top of Calton Hill (Venue 26) 343 3017, until 31 Aug (not25). 6.30pm. £4.50 (£3.50).
PLEASANCE BOX OFFICE on the day of the performance. Up to 4 pairs available.
The List 23 ~ 2‘) August 199143