NEW STAGE THEATRE World Premiére of

SAINAI

By Award winning writer Chris Dolan

"People to watch" The Sunday Times

- L.A. WEEKLY

Moray House Studios

BoxOffice- 013i 556 0102

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A passionate, hilarious

and sweaty tragedy

directed by John Wright August IO-I3. IT-I‘), 23-25, St 2‘)-.’)I, at 4.30pm

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AUGUST 10-31 AT 4.50pm TICKETS £7.00 £5.00 a £8.00 £6.00 VENUE 33-60 THE PLEASANCE {W

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lendo: turning Japanese

DIRECT FROM LOS ANGELES...

725.. 6/105 ,L/éac/ 6m

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A RIFF ON THE MYTH. WITH SONGS

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“IRREVERENT AND CHILLINC... EXCEPTIONAL PEREORMANCES'

VENUE I69

12th - 3 I st August (NotTttesdays) SII 5 PM

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An epic comedy of glorious confusion

Directed & designed by I’helim McDermott 8c julian (Irouch

August I-"i-IG, 20-22, 8% 26—28 at 4.50pm

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THEATRE PREVIEW

ZEHDO MARTIAL ART SHOW

Swords. stal'l's. axes . . . and Carl .ltmg‘s theon ol‘ .-\I'L‘I1CI}'|TL‘\. Tlitts spake Xendo in preparation lot his assatilt on lidinhtirgh.

During the l'our-act show. '/.endo perl‘orms martial arts while in the guise ol a Samurai warrior. a Zen monk. a mythical Celtic ligtu'e. llerne the Hunter and King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.

‘These four characters the warrior. the sage. the magician and tlte hero king represent the inner qualities of human beings.’ explains Zettdo. 'They are the Archetypes'

Well. )‘c‘s. but Robert the Bruce as Bruce l.ee'.’ 'He was an expert with the axe. which is a Japanese martial art weaponf asserts Xentlo. 'This enabled me to link Ill a hit ol‘ a Scottish theme to the show.’

With a hara-kiri. or ritual suicide. promised in llic‘ I'it‘sl thl. Ze‘litltfs blend of martial arts and physical theatre seems certain to get oil. to a II_\ ing start. (Alan (‘i .i\\' lord)

I Zendo Martial Art Show tl’ringe) Bonnington Resource (‘entre t\'enue JR) rm- l'urther inl'ormation call 236 5357/5259. Ill—IlAug. 5pm. £3 t£l.5()).

i: * * THE NISS

Ibsen meets Lm-u/ Hem in this grim Highlands story of one I‘amily trying to cope with commercial invasion from England and abroad. Like its tragic hero. this play has an enormous emotional reservoir btit struggles to maintain life over the ()0 minutes.

The cast is strong. especially Faith Kent's ageing mother Hen and Joanna Macl.eod's determined prodigal daughter. but the play suffers from weak dialogue. crude plotting and overuse of stereotypes. Unl’orgivably. several poignant moments are marred by a visual woodeimess which gives a general air of untheatricality. The better medium for writer George

The Miss: local heroism

(itinu‘s poeticall} expressed concerns ma} well he radio. ((iiant Gordon)

I The Miss (Fringe) (jrey ('oast Theatre (‘ompany The l‘atttotis (it’ottse House (\"cttue 34) 331) 5000. tiiitil IX Aug. 5pm. U) (£4)

**

THE FEAST AND AFTER

The Burt Bacharach city gent dance routine that began this new adaptation of Salome could have been The Young Generation on Cilla's Saturday specials twenty years ago. All very well. but the deconstruction stopped there. and all that was delivered was a rather pedestrian reading. Whilst the seductress herself was saucin enticing. there was unnecessary splitting of' focus with the soon to be headless prophet squatting at the back of the auditorium. while Salome's pivotal dance went on behind a curtain. somewhat lessening the erotic impact. A bit more bravery and the earth might've really moved. (Neil Cooper) I The Feast And After (Fringe) Stranget'ruit Stageworks. Marco's (Venue 98)228‘)I16. until 24 Aug. 5pm. £5 (£3.50).

God Save

Ireland Cried

The Hero

Michael Collins is a name you’re going to hear a lot of in the next few months. A forthcoming Hollywood blockbuster

THEATRE PREVIEW

will star liam Heeson as Collins, the mastermind of the Irish free state who

was shot dead in 1922 by his own

comrades.

Scottish Television journalist Eamonn O’Neill will also play a part in Collins’ rehabilitation into the history books

Eamonn O’Neill: playing a part

as much as to heroise him. ‘He wasn’t a great military man,’ admits O‘Neill, ‘and in the last month of his life he

with this one-man play set on the day of his assassination. ‘lle’s a very controversial figure who galvanised an entire nation,’ says O’Neill. ‘Re was also a catalyst for a whole period of history.’ In this way O’Neill sees parallels between Collins and T. 6. Lawrence, who cut a smilarly heroic dash.

O’Neill’s initial inspiration came from a twenty-year-old documentary only recently broadcast for the first time. Yet the play aims to humanise Collins

was falling apart emotionally.’ This image is somewhat at odds with the square-jawed general of surviving photographs of Collins. This was, it seems, a calculated image. ‘Collins himself played a great part in creating his own myth,’ says O’Neill. ‘lt’s almost as if he knew he was destined to do something great.’ (Neil Cooper) God Save Ireland Cried The Hero (Fringe) Sidefrack/Wiseguise, The Famous Grouse House (Venue 34) 220

5606, 19-31Aug, 5.15pm, £6 (£4).

34 The List l()_-22 Aug I996