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Tramway. Glasgow. Tue 15 Mar

Nl".'. WORK

THE GIRL WITH RED HAIR

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 12 Mar .00

Grief has a rhythm, and one that attunes itself to the rhythm of life. Days and seasons change, all the while repairing, imperceptibly, the inner scars we bear. Part of the healing is little forms of ritualised sublimation. engaged in either consciously or unconsciously to bridge the gap between ourselves and those we feel the loss of. It is this territory that Sharman MacDonald explores in this Lyceum premier, a co-production with the Bush Theatre.

Against the background of the outrageous conceit of a hot summer day in Fife, Cath (Patricia Kerrigan) has lost her daughter, the eponymous genger, to a car accident a year ago, and subsequently her grief- stricken husband. She consoles herself with a flirtation with an Irish truckie (Christopher Dunne) at her seaside café. The unseen presence of the girl also affects her boyfriend (Sean Biggerstaff) and his new squeeze Corrine (Emma Campbell Jones), who can‘t compete.

The pubescent Izzy (Helen McAlpine) and her pal Pam (Joanne Cummins) combine peculiar rites to commemorate her death with burgeoning sexuality. while two old ladies (Sandra Voe and Sheila Reid) sharing an unspoken secret. grieve quite separately for another loss.

Mike Bradwell's production in front of Robin Don's seaside town in summer set looks pretty and feels the quiet rhythms of the day with sensitivity. while the small town atmosphere, where a treat for a lass is a dress bought in Kirkaldy, feels authentic. Kerrigan is strong. but isn‘t given enough to do. while Voe and Reid's bickering old ladies make the most of their comic and finally quietly elegiac subplot to very pleasing effect. But while the text has some sweetly poetic turns. it feels insubstantial and structurally self conscious. Its rapid, soap-like movement between different situations leaves one longing to see more character development. while the final effect is that the play simply hasn't much to say. Something like Solemn Mass lite. this is more Iikeable time passer than big night out.

(Steve Cramer)

Theatre

Andy Arnold. artistic director of the Arches. responds to James Boyle's Cultural Commission by givmg our politICIans some advice on the arts.

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THE LIST 95