TESLTAL

THEATRE REVIEW The Wrestling

first 71:

Forearm smash for The Wrestling

Mick McManus, Les Kellet, Adrian Street, Johnny Kwango, Jackie Pallo, Kendo Nagasaki, Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy, Brian Glover, Kent Walton and Dickie Davies if you remember those names, you’ll love The Wrestling.

Scott Bradley relives the world of packed halls, of blue eyes and bad guys, the glory days, through the words of the wrestlers and promoters themselves. From Adrian Street’s heavy Welsh lilt to Brian Glover’s RSC-ness. Greg Dyke (of Roland Rat fame) pulled the plug on TV wrestling it’s been dying ever since.

Saturday afternoon nostalgia has never been the same. A forearm smash. (Malcolm Stewart)

:23: The Wrestling (Fringe) P/easance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 31 Aug, 12. 10pm, £7/£6 (£6/£5).

THEATRE REVIEW Elektra's Brother

:55} iii.“ ‘:5:‘

Tragic, comic and energetic, this adaptation of Euripide’s Orestes is highly entertaining. It's all in here; murder, revenge, slightly dubious brother/sister relationships and power- struggles. The play follows the fate of Orestes and his sister Elektra. He killed his mother in order to avenge his father's death, and she helped him. Due to be sentenced to death by stoning, the siblings hatch a plan to escape the wrath of the crty’s citizens. Much murder, mayhem and mirth ensue as the story unfolds In true Greek dramatic fashion. And if your stomach can handle all the blood-lust, Moral Horse Productions thoughtfully provide olives, almonds and other Greek delicacies. Better than Butterkist anyday. (Kirsty Knaggs)

if; Elektra’s Brother (Fringe) Moral Horse Productions, Southside Courtyard (Venue 16) 667 2212, until 31 Aug (not 27) noon, £4 (£3).

THEATRE REVIEW Crazyface

Clive Barker's play is an entertaining Jumble of Ideas that were to be more successfully explored In his later prose fiction. Crazyface is a supposed simpleton, taunted by an errant angel, who becomes involved in a plot to

possess a box that 'contains heaven itself'. While the box will appear familiar to Hellraiser fans, this is not a horror tale but a mixture of low comedy and philosophically-inclined melodrama.

The play is frequently overloaded with dialogue and ideas, but the talented company combat this with fine ensemble playing and by maintaining a rapid tempo that ensures the audience's interest never wanes over the course of 100 minutes. On this evidence their other two productions Chess and My Life As You Know It could well be worth checking out. (Rory Ford)

a Crazyface (Fringe) Waste Of Space Theatre Company Roman Eagle Lodge (Venue 21) 622 7207, 28, 30, Aug 12.25pm, £5 (£4).

KIDS REVIEW The Pied Piper of Hamlyn it? it it“???

This production, aimed mainly at younger children, is as bright and inventive as they come. With delightful colourfully-painted sets and the refreshing use of live musical accompaniment, the tale of the mysterious piper who saves a town from a plague of rats is rendered with the help of some enchanting puppets and much gusto from a young and enthusiasric cast.

The more sinister aspects of this ever popular fairytale are played down in favour of the comic, although the kids obviously loved the odd couple of spooky moments. In fact, a sea of small faces were kept wide and enchanted for the entire hour-long duration of the performance.

(Ross Holloway)

g The Pied Piper of Ham/yn (Fringe) Blunderbus Theatre for Children, Old St Paul’s Church (Venue 45) 556 0476, until 29 Aug (not Sun) 10.35am; 23, 28 Aug, 4.35pm, £5 (£3.50).

THEATRE REVIEW A Play on Two Chairs a: e are

This extremely inventive show lives up to its unflowery billing, but rarely have two chairs and their enigmatic owners been so chaotically interesting on stage.

A man and woman debate sexuality, Violence and bath-tubs using mime and dialogue that appears haphazard, but is actually so tightly controlled that not a limb jerk or vowel is out of place. The chairs are flung, stamped and kicked around the stage as the pair bombard the audience with non sequiturs about the absurdity of the gender battle.

Clever, provocative and funny, it almost persuades you that all moral certainties are ridiculous, which is not bad for an hour-long piece of physical theatre. (Chris Small)

a A Play on Two Chairs (Fringe) The Corn Exchange, Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, until Sep 5 (not Tue), noon, £9/£8 8/£ 7).

kids . theatre . dance . comedy

THEATRE REViEWa

' Fire-in ThfeBasentent fight

Bill Findlay 5 Scottish version of Pavel Kohout‘s farce brings to mind the

,: Czech writer’s leanings toward absurdism. rather than the political

allegory often associated with him. A crew of firemen induce an extreme

form of coitus interruptus as they

burst in upon "a newlywed couple's nuptials. Engl (Martyn: Tim Webster) and lanchi (Helen Lomax) are then

forced into an increasingly bizarre

series of deciarations by the officious

. firetnen, as bureaucracy presides

over emergency While an apparent fire rages in their kitchen.‘A sense of accu‘rhulating chaos ensues. as first identity. than ekistence is questioned finally the firemen drag the couple into a complicated

it's finger lickin’ good: Basement tried chicken,

insurance scam, while the existence of the fire itself becomes questionahie. , There are some very amusing set pieces here. perhaps most notably the mechanical business of the firemen devouring a looted chicken to the theme tune from The Third Man. but the social and existential commentary sometimes seems most muted when the play is at its funniest. rendering the satirical edge a little blunt. There are some splendid performances though, particularly Lomax' s scared but feisty wife and tewis Howden‘ s Firechief, an apparently friendly but rather sinister Dutch uncle. " ~

(Steve Cramer)

a Fire in The Basement (Fringe) Communicado Traverse Theatre (Venue 15) 228 1404 untilS Sep, various times. £12 (£7 50)

Equity is in town

Mackenzie Building, (by Fringe

in physical theatre.

Call us in Edinburgh

2472 to find out more.

Sing, dance, Tell a Joke? Act, Clown, do Cabaret? Direct, Choreograph, Design?

members and non-members on Friday, August 28th - Fringe Club,

10.30 - noon Equity Here, Now and in the Future. This is your chance to ask questions, get. answers and find out what Equity is really about.

14.00 - 15.30 Take Your Partners. for dancers, choreographers and all those interested

Equity

0973 778889 or contact Equity in Glasgow 0141 248

and happy to meet

1A Parliament Square Box Office)

A forum especially

during the festivals on.

27 Aug—10 Sep 1993 THE um 31