ASSEMBLY ROOMS .0131 226 2428
ASSEMBLY + GILDED BALLOON + PLEASANCE
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At Assembly you can snap up a pair of tickets to see some of the best shows on this year’s Fringe. Assembly are giving away a generous number of tickets on a FIRST COME. FIRST SERVED basis.
Tickets may be picked up ONLY on the day of the performance by presenting your voucher at Assembly box office (from 11am).
Tickets subject to availability and limited to
ONE PAIR PER PERSON.
KING LEAR MARDJANISHIVILI STATE ACADEMIC DRAME mama TBILISI
Free tickets on Sunday 18 August at 2pm (Music Hall).
Five pairs of tickets available.
TOWERING INFERNO
Free tickets on Tuesday 20 August at 9.30pm (Music Hall).
Five pairs of tickets available.
SNOWSHOW
Free tickets on Friday 16 August at 11.15pm (Music Hall).
Five pairs of tickets available.
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THE INVISIBLE BOUNCERS THEATRE COMPANY
Free tickets on Monday 19 August at 4pm (Edinburgh Suite).
Five pairs of tickets available.
JAMES STEPHEN III
Free tickets on Monday 19 August at 7.30pm
Five pairs of tickets available.
festival 9am -1pm
THEATRE REVIEW * ‘k *
THE HOUSE OF CORRECTION
When cuckoo Steve forces his way into Carl and Marion's cosy suburban nest. a grotesque ménage a trois takes a turn for the worse. with Steve seemingly using Marion as a substitute for his recently deceased wife. His unique brand of DIY finally brings things to a head. but by the end the happy couple have regained the upper hand. Or have they? Norman Lock's play. first presented in LA. has all the mania of early Sam Shepherd. with the kooky trio played as B-movie cartoons by a fine tuned cast. The American (bad) dream in living colour. (Neil C00per)
I the House 0i Correction (Fringe) MPS. Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550. until 3| Aug (not 20) l2.20pm. £7/£6 (£6/£5) .
Vlho has the upper hand in The ilooee Ct Correction?
l *** i
GHETTO
A historically important play. anti the National Student Theatre Company manages to generate some real empathy during this epic two-hour production. The story — a struggle for survival in Lithuania's Jewish ghettos during World War II — is one full of tragedy and outrage. There is a possibility that any cast could collapse under such weighty 20th century history. but a combination of sweet Brechtian song. traditional dance and strong ensemble work provide the winning dramatic texture to offset the suffering and loss. A number of central performances are stronger than others but. overall. the young cast tackles a difficult text well and should be proud. (Paul Welsh)
I Ghetto (Fringe) National StudentTheatre Company. Southside Community Centre (Venue 82) 667 22 I2. until 3| Aug (not It. I8.
Strong voice: out of the Ghetto
THEATRE REVIEW
TOWER OF BABEI.
To the simple. sensual sounds of a wooden slat drum. a trio of gunnysack- clad women explore the geometric possibilities of wooden slats on the floor. shifting pathways and obstacles to shape their playful meanderings. Mixing caveman roughness with gentle clowning. solo vignettes offer some delightfully poetic images. animated by coloured balls. and a range of verbal utterances. The namesake tower eventually emerges as a rickety pyramid of sticks. and cantankerous exchanges begin. But the piece never quite rises above workshop
standard. and a committed performance only partly compensates for the little revelation ofa well-wom tale. (Sara Porter)
I Tower of Babel (Fringe) Theatre Du Jour. C too (Venue 4) 225 5105. until Aug 3t (not Suns) llam. £5 (£4).
Blottety lower (it Babel
THEATRE REVIEW * * 'k
THE OOLLEOTEO WORKS OF BILLY THE KIO
Wild West outlaws have long been lionised by any types. both establishment and counter-cultural. That perfect hybrid of lawless.
27) ll.45am. £5 (£4.50).
existential loner and gun-
totin‘ man of action is a synthesis too delicious to resist. Michael Ondatje's novel. adapted and performed solo here by Gordon Peaston. presents a floridly fictionalised account of the dirty little Billy legend. Lucidly articulate. we see Billy the silver tongued charmer. but with the aid of slides we also go deeper into his off-kilter psyche. Peaston though. is more mild than wild. and needs to let rip to let the whole thing flow into life. As it is. he's tiring blanks. (Neil Cooper) I The Collected Works 01 Billy The Kid (Fringe) ()libec Productions. Pleasance Upstairs (Venue 33) 556 6550. until 3| Aug (not I‘). 27) ll.I5am. £()/£5 (ES/£4).
Y
—. "’
Fistful of bullets, not dollars, for Billy the Kid
THEATRE REVIEW * ‘k *
UPSIOE DOWN TO OZ
It's important to have a hobby. A quiet spot of boat building for instance. Take it too far though and you might end up like the protagonist of Simon Little's one-man play performed by Hugh Loughlan. On the face of it. John isjust an average family guy taking time out to build the dream boat his father left the plans for. But when John goes off the deep end and starts believing he’s a latter day Noah. it becomes plain he‘s been all at sea for some time. Little’s script gradually unravels an underbelly of everday pathos. while Loughlan appears vulnerable without ever resorting to ‘mad' acting. (Neil Cooper)
I Upside Bonn To 01 (Fringe) Gallus Theatre. Famous Grouse House (Venue IS) 228 I404. 8. l5 Aug. ll.45am; 9. l6 Aug. 2.15pm; 10. l3. l7 Aug. 4.45pm; ll. 14. I8 Aug. 7.15pm. £7 (£4).
Review tar ratins t t t t * Unmissable t a t a Very good Worth seeing Below average
a t a
t You‘ve been warned
24 The List l6-22 Aug I996
i l