Stage Whispers
I Whispers is in danger of becoming a cheer squad for the National Theatre of Scotland at the moment, for after last week's appointment of Neil Murray, the new body has made two more pretty canny looking appointments. The announcement of David Greig as the dramaturg for the new body seems progressive in two respects. Firstly, the idea of the new theatre having a dramaturg at all is promising, as for long years this important role in the creation of theatre has been seen as a fancy continental luxury, rather than a necessity in British theatre. The fact that the new body has made such an appointment so early on shows a pleasing progressiveness of spirit. The second big plus is the person appointed. Greig, possibly the country’s best and certainly its most consistently acclaimed dramatist, seems a perfect candidate to bring his theatrical nous to this overviewer’s role. Perhaps even more exciting is the appointment of John Tiffany as associate director for new work. This Yorkshireman is without question one of the most gifted directors of his generation. His work, epitomised by such hits from his years at the Traverse as Perfect Days and Gagarln Way, shows an innate sense of showmanship, a theatrical inventiveness that positively fizzes with ideas and theatrical dynamism. Given, as well, that most of his professional experience has centred on new work, there is much to recommend him for the job.
The first of the National’s artistic associates was also announced this week in the form of Liz Lochhead. Lochhead’s popular acclaim, garnered through such pieces as Britannia Rules and Mary Queen of Scots Got Her HeadChoppedOf‘faswellasher many classical adaptations, should make her a valuable member of what will become a kind of artistic board of control for the national. It all looks positively rosy at this stage.
Review
AID/xi) Ml ION THE THIRD MAN Touring 000
The image of a city shattered by war and conquest, its infrastructure obliterated and its citizens living in fear of local bandits and even greater dread of occupying powers acting as inept police might well be writ large on the consciousness of anyone who reads the papers at the moment. This is clearly not lost upon Jonathan Holloway, whose adaptation of this Red Shift production strikes the odd very contemporary chime in its representation of a conquered post-war Vienna, divided between four recalcitrant allied powers. These create some very effective moments. This adaptation of the novella and screenplay, rather than the film, retains enough of the celluloid version’s narrative to seem familiar. In it, Rollo Martins (Antony Gabriel) reaches Vienna only to find Harry Lime, the
schoolfriend who invited him, ostensibly being buried after a road accident.
Colonel Calloway (Andrew Forbes) of British intelligence has a different account of Lime than the naive and idealistic Martins, and yet another perspective is offered by Anna (Siri lngul), Lime’s girlfriend. Martins finds himself in schtuck with everyone in the devastated city, from antibiotic peddlers to a slightly out of touch British Council.
There are many delights to Holloway’s production, but also the odd flaw. Neil Irish’s double decked, multifunctional and metallic set, combined with Matthew Gray’s effective, rather filmic lighting work well, though the multimedia effect of video monitors on the stage seem a bit redundant to the action. If it’s a touch overlong, there’s plenty to chew on about attitudes to colonised nations from their colonisers on both personal and political levels. The performances are not entirely of even quality, but Forbes’ Calloway is intensely watchable, while some great support acting in a multiplicity of roles, finally Lime himself comes from Justin Webb. Well worth a see, even if it isn‘t perfect. (Steve Cramer)
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‘-;:, L/X.‘ THE LIST 89