v THEATR l THEATRE FRACILE
TELLING l RASHOMON l
A servant enters the erotic web of his androgynous mistress and her grotesque entourage. Her penchant for scalping young girl penitents leads the servant to steal from her and run away. After being caught. four versions of a mythical truth are told. but the genuine article is decided by those who wield power.
Based on a Kurosawa film. this visually striking production achieves a counterpoint of impressionistic lyricism with up-front. gothic hysterics. as if scripted by Margaret Duras in a bad temper.
Some of the devices used are hackneyed. but this is a stylish and committed production. (Neil Cooper)
I Telling Rashomon (Fringe) Theatrestorm. St Columba‘s By The Castle. (Venue 4) 220 5959. 14—27 Aug. 2.30pm. £5.50 (£4.50).
V THEATRE ‘ FRENCH KISS
‘ . r
Barbara 8.: A rollercoaster ride of passion
Truffaut and Godard. Belmondo and Delon . . . 605 French cinema still retains a magnetic romance. Tom McCrOry. author and director of French K iss is clearly steeped in it. This poetic. humorous play reeks of Gauloise and nostalgia. but also requires some
Telling Ron:Atelling k tale ;
In a sensitive exploration of the environmental determinants of
anorexia, Pathways Theatre Company
; translates the mental torture of eating disorders into a highly wrought piece
of physical theatre. Opening with projected statistics, foetal figures
unfurl to an ambient soundtrack. From this point on the waif-like Sarah (Olivia Busby) ls subjected to a deterministic barrage from parents
and peers.
IE2)-
Food, guilt, poor self-image,
Fragile: exploring the anguish of eating di curtailed sexuality and the exquisite anguish of anorexia: the gamut of female trauma is traversed. At times the dance and movement sequences do simplify the issues and some of the acting is overly emphatic. Nevertheless worthy and timely. (Bethan Cole)
Fragile (Fringe) Pathways Theatre Company, South Bridge Centre (Venue 123) 556 3663, until 3 Sept, 2pm, £3.50
FESTIVAL
sorders
slick physical theatre to
bring it off. The solitary life of
Barbara B. is transformed
when she signs up for French classes with David. the suave language teacher. Despite ‘an accent that was more Man
U than Manon'. she
immerses herself in French culture. casting David as the hero of
daydreams. mimed in the
style of over-the-top French movies. Harsh reality twists this comic
tale towards a dark conclusion. but it remains
an enjoyable and distinctive production. (Justin McKenzie Smith) I French Kiss (Fringe) Laffa Jaffa Productions. Gilded Balloon Theatre (Venue 38) 226 2151. until 3 Sept (not 23). lpm. £5 (£4).
V THEATRE , GO AHEAD AND
f JUMP
‘ Go Ahead and Jump is a
simple tale told in a straight forward way on a basically empty set. An actor called Michael plays an actor called Michael: a dancer named Denise plays a dancer named Denise. We meet them on a visit to a counsellor and listen in as they recount their contrasting versions of how their relationship grew and went wrong. From these simple ingredients. The Fisheye Project from New York
have spun an affecting. funny and compelling play that convincingly captures the anxieties of twentysomethings — Generation X — in the l990s. The only disappointment is that
they are here for such a short time. (Justin , McKenzie Smith)
' I Go Ahead and Jump
(Fringe) The Fisheye Project. Randolph Studio (Venue 55) 225 5366. until 20 Aug. 2pm. £3.50 (£3).
V THEATRE SHE’lL BE COMING ROUND THE MOUNTAIN
Thom Powell mun a lost world Set amid the chaos of an unplaced civil war. this play carefully interweaves
softly played clowning with hesitant bursts of dialogue. illustrating the perverse. insane nature of civil war. where adults are reduced to the level of children and children fight the war.
Jason Thorpe and Emma Powell skillfully play father and daughter. struggling to place
together the remnants of a lost world of secure
. family life and sense of
place. The cast largely
tackles themes of
displacement. loss and ? futility. without
: overplaying emotion or trivialising the subject
matter. combining
moments of true comedy with stark actuality. (Rory Weller)
- VENUE
5 Z O W x 3
I n: 5‘." E g Q n: O 3
I She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain (Fringe) Backstairs Influence. Southside (Venue 82) 667 7365. until 27 Aug. 2.25pm. £5 (£4).
mm: on, sun JASPER!
Ooer madam. this is definitely a case of The Archers meets Frankie Howard for a romp round the rustic terrain. What we have here is an unapologetic case of skulking and skulduggery that is a cut (just) above the run-of—the-mill church hall farce.
Dead bodies. cross- dressing. men who have lost their trousers. a stream of characters who flesh out plots founded on misunderstandings and libido is a pretty apt summary. ()nly the stereotypical Victorian villain. Sir Jasper. despite being the irritant baddie. emerges as the saving grace at the root of these keyhole capers in the countryside. (Ann Donald)
I OII Sir Jasper (Fringe) Fossick Valley Fumblers.
impressive . . . ingenious. . . sumptuous
Festival Club (Venue 36) 650 2395. 14—20 Aug. 1.30pm. £5 (£4).
V THEATRE THE OLDEST PROFESSION
The story of Dorothy Jordan. a Georgian actress who at her peak packed out Drury Lane. this is a moving. if polite portrayal of male dominance and double standards forcing independent women into poverty.
A twenty-year relationship with the Duke
Of Clarence ended with
Dorothy being forced to give up the profession she loved and be shunted off to France for fear of
i embarrassing the Duke.
later William IV. Dorothy is portrayed with skilful poise and the play exposes the thin veneer of official history. beneath which lies an entirely hidden one that rarely sees the light of day. (Neil Cooper)
I The Oldest Profession (Fringe) Littlewit Theatre Company. Southside Centre/Venue 123 (Venue 123) 556 3663. until 3 Sept. 1pm. £4.50 (£3.50).
"k The Oldest Profession: Acting Up
St BRIDES CENTRE, Venue 62 l5-27 'AUG ZI’M
SDNA‘IOJHJ A9 AGJWO) MIN HIISINIS V
1 PM I3PM
INE
NEIL VALE
The List 19—25 August 1994 29