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‘THEY DEMOCRATISE THROUGH THE DISCOURSE OF DESIRE'
As the Citizens’ presents CLEO, CAMPING EMMANUELE AND DICK, Steve Cramer examines the cultural significance of the Carry On films.
he .lokes were att‘ociotis. let's face it. liven the
most famous. almost a ptib language of its own.
‘infamy. infamy. they‘ye all got it in for me‘ is a cringe pt‘oy'okct. So the first reason we like (any ()n films is that they were performed by a group of genuinely skilled farceurs. able to overcome their material. But it's way more complex than this.
lior anyone who knows their Aristophanes knows. too. that the farce of this long succession of phenomenally successful British films played a wry similar social role in Britain of the oils and 7()s as that greatest of satirists did in .-\thens of the fifth century B(‘. If you think this a sentcntious claim. just look at (‘urry ()n at Your ('onri'iiiciii'i' which lifts its plot wholesale from l._\:siyrmru. .~\dmitted|y. the women of (‘oiii‘t'uiem'e go on se\ strike to end an indtistrial dispute. not a war. and the politics are not those of radical dissent but appalling right wing union-lushing. However. the thrust of the plot is the same. .-\nd this film also provides one of the most quietly moying scenes of the series. in which foreman Sid James and factory worker Joan Sims acknowledge. in \ery few words. their desire for each other. but return. instead of consummating their passion. to their spouses in their adjoining semis. lt's achingly moving.
.-\nd that's the other striking thing about these films — there‘s no se\ in them. at least not in the best of the series from the mid oils to 197(Jish. They create empathy in audiences through the sheer sexual frustration of the characters. for after all the repressed desire e\pressed. no one actually gets off with anyone. They democratise through the discourse of desire. for
88 THE LIST 5 ‘
whether Sid James is playing Mark Antony. Henry VIII or Sir Sidney Rougluliamond. (lovernor of India. he. Kenneth Williams. llatty Jacques and the rest are
essentially the same characters. rendering the desires of
the high and mighty the same as ours. So the humiliations. frustrations and tiny victories of life are the same for those up there as us down here.
Now whether a conservative or radical impulse is liberated by all this is a point still up for debate. Does the exposure of the high and mighty as riy en with base desires facilitate an access to iconoclasm. or simply allow us to let off steam about them. and return. alter a few cathartic moments of tall poppy cutting. to our place in the hierarchy"? Maybe there's no rule. and it depends on the case in point.
Whatever the answer. there's a chance to engage in the debate. or alternatively engage in a bit of smutty innuendo and nostalgia. for the ('it/ is double l)-lighted to present this Terry Johnson hit of the Slls. which explores the private lives of Barbara Windsor. James and Williams in particular. James‘ affair with Windsor provoked some pretty hairy moments with notorious gangster Ronnie Knight. while his fraught relationship with Williams is a matter of record. It’s all explored
through both drama and farce in the Scottish premier of
this critically acclaimed piece. on this occasion directed by the author himself. The accomplished Andy Clark will play James. leading a strong cast in a play that
looks at an iconic and quintessentially British bit of
popular culture. Enjoy.
Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 4-Sat 28 Feb.
Hit
THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
* Bolling a Frog ChristOpher Brookmyre’s satirical novel gets the 7:84 treatment in this new adaptation. A dodgy bishop and a sleazy tabloid hack struggle for power in this sharp and very topical satire on the new Scotland. Paisley Arts Centre, Glasgow.
* Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick The Citizens' Theatre presents this Scottish premier of Terry Johnson's acclaimed West End hit about the troubled lives of Sid James. Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor. Directed by the author, this production looks a tragi-comic winner, and not just for Carry On fans. Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 4—Sat 28 Feb.
* Flicker The combination of Asian dance traditions and contemporary British work has proved fruitful for choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh in the past. Here she returns with music by Michael Nyman in a piece that uses multimedia techniques to illustrate such things as the motions of honeybees. This promises some fascinating movement. Macrobert, Stir/mg, Thu 10 Feb, then touring.
* Tornfoolery A night of delightful and distasteful satirical song, incorporating the work oi the great Tom Lehrer. Performed by Kit and the Widow and Dillie Keane. this might be a night of nostalgic delight or a new departure in black comedy, depending on your age. King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 8—Sat 12 Feb.
* Passing Places Stephen Greenhorn’s mighty little entertainment, here revived by Borderline, makes a welcome return to Scottish stages. The story of two young men chased around the Highlands by gangsters. among others. it’s an ingenious and witty entertainment with a bit to say about contemporary Scotland. Touring.