of intemational cultural I it‘s excelled itself this
'with regard to Iraq have 2 taken'aguidinghandintheright of .' , people to have access to .- arts and culture. in an effort to verify that i ‘_ aren't just prejudiced against 5 those fine representatives I cultural standards. the f -- Consulate in Harare, have i ’ entry visas for a (BO-strong ' *‘j. choir from Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, a much- 5' i. gospel choir act, have | spent a vast amount of i in a country horribly beset f by poverty. in raising the readies for this gig, and are now being asked to reapply for visas, with no guarantee that they will be l at the end of the i All this after the group I enthusiastically endorsed by British Council. "l if these folks would have , denied entry to this country if i were white? You can't help butsuspectthatmerearefolksin who still call the place " " So, too, the reasoning I denial of entry seems ’ "questionable to the point of " Apparently concerns -- been raised about whether folk in the choir will return home after their tour. Given that several of them will be leaving children behind. this seems a bUt not to the hardeofe . thinking folks at the FO. Whispers I; that upper-class families a}... ceased to hide their less intelligent sons in the Foreign but apparently not. One can only a mixture of
days, so perhaps the f Parliament, in the wake of Commission. might
" ' to raise its voice in the name and Culture.
“ will (keep you posted.
as 1112 Lrsr 21 Jul 4 Ant; your,
Review PROMENADE THEATRE
TWELFTH NIGHT Botanic Gardens, Glasgow, until Sat 23 Jul 0000
Perhaps it was my damp burn on the grass and the fact that I was the only person too stubborn (bin liner in tow) to hire a stool, but this play felt dark. A murky evening such as this casts a shadow over the fun hiding-behind-bushes kind of comedy the production does so well. But that is the essence of outdoor theatre in Britain and if the weather — or the pessimist in me — sought out the dark side. it certainly added an extra edge to the play.
In Shakespeare's romantic comedy of mistaken identity. trickery and gender- crossing lead to tangled webs. Separated from her twin brother Sebastian (Paul Boyd) after a shipwreck, Viola (Luisa Prosser) fears him dead. She disguises herself as a bloke. serves Orsino (Donald Pirie), Duke of lllyria. and woos Countess Olivia (lmogen Dixon) on his behalf. But Olivia falls for the messenger, while her jester Feste (Michelle Wiggins) and companions trick her steward Malvolio (Justin Skelton) into thinking his mistress loves him. When Sebastian
rolls up, confusion reigns. The siblings' reunion brings a romantic finale for most.
while some remain ever cautious.
Director Gordon Barr's 1919 setting focuses the themes of loss and death within a post-war context. But it's the personal plight of each individual's fear of love which fascinates; the despair of Skelton's Malvolio. as he's cruelly tricked and left in loneliness, hints at a life far more complex than any of the others. Wiggins‘ exceptionally dirty laugh amuses all. And just when the fine soak-you- through rain progresses to the fat ploppy sort. Prosser‘s Viola announces ‘the heavens rain odours on you!’ A muffled chuckle ripples across the audience. On a sunnier day. the mood may lift the play from its darker undertones. That's the beauty of ‘Bard in the Botanics' — baring the elements gives you a scrt of affinity with 17th century spectators and this show carries a raw. almost spontaneous quality which suits its outdoor setting. My only advice: hire a stool. (Claire Piela)
THEATRE ROUND-UP JULY THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS
Various venues
Perhaps, in this ‘3ummer stock' bit of the year, many of you have given up the theatre as a body in total abeyance until August. But if you're after your theatre fix, there's still a bit of action about. Aside from the Shakespeare performances still just about running in Glasgow's Botannics. there's also a treat at Edinburgh's Roxy Art House in WitkaCy /d/ota. an entertaining and appropriately surreal reflection on the life of avante garde Polish artist and playwright Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz. With the splendid Sandy Grierson in the cast, this piece by Lazzi Experimental Arts Unit sounds well worth a watch.
So too. does Mitosis, Hoax productions' new piece. which exploits physical theatre and circus skills in a show that uses landscape and objects in combination with its vital young performers. Among the objects are many paper balls. with which the audience might choose to interact in the spirit of play. You can see this at the Arches. where there’ll also be a circus skills school later in the month, which is recommended as a stimulating working experience for young people from 13 to 18. So the season hasn't quite gone dark yet. (Steve Cramer)
NEW WORK CYPRUS Mull Theatre, until Wed 17 Aug
We don't normally cover work as far afield as Mull, but there are a couple of reasons to do so on this special
‘ occasion. Firstly, those of you who love
the theatre but can't bear the Festival might find y0urselves wandering further afield (what with the flat rented out to those Romanian mime artists) than usual. And secondly. in this piece by Peter Arnott. we have the chance to catch up with the work of a writer of some significance. politically and aesthetically.
Arnott has been on the Scottish scene for some years, but endured a period of nearly a decade when little of his work was performed. Partially perhaps because of the very welcome revival of political awareness in the theatre. he's been enjoying quite a renaissance over the last few years. And political commentary. as well as a more conventional storyline. runs through this piece.
In it. an ostensibly retired military officer with a suggestion of the SAS about him returns. after various nefarious activities in Iraq. Oman and Afghanistan, to his remote c0untry home where his daughter awaits him. But he's accompanied by another.
I Theatre’s 4 film" in Conemara
perhaps more sinister military man. The play looks like combining elements of that old chestnut. the old dark house thriller, with a contemporary political edge. In it. Arnott wishes to refocus his characteristic political anger with a more multifarious perspective. in which we see the current period of multinational inspired military adventurism at least in part. from the point of view of its perpetrators. It sounds like a fascinating night if you're out that way. (Steve Cramer)
O ' if Mitosis