Theatre
WHEN DOES VOYEURISM BECOME SOMETHINGLESS THAN VALUABLE?
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Body butful
Steve Cramer looks through some of the offerings
of this year’s Arches Theatre Festival. oyeurism is a natural impulse for the human species. but it falls into a disturbingly ambivalent territory. We learn much about
ourselves by looking at others. and in a state of
passivity. where the other person can't or won't respond to our ga/e. we learn more. because we don‘t haye the added strain of having to interact with the other person. Which all sounds perfectly healthy. But when does voyeurism become something less than \aluable'.’ Perhaps it occurs when television coverage of war becomes pure spectacle. unconnected with human suffering. or at a strip show. or a freak show. .-\t what point does the context of something we watch become simple stimulation without the pretence of learning or growth‘.’
lt's a territory explored in one of this year‘s Arches Directors‘ Awards winners’ new show. Director Stuart Murdoch‘s devised piece K represents a collision
between Kalka’s 'I’lie ('astle. a nightmarish vision of
modern bureaucracy. and Todd Browning‘s cult horror film Freaks. in which the exhibits of a freak show avenge the maltreatment of their ringmaster. But the real question about a night at the theatre which actually represents to us a night at the theatre is what‘s your role as an audience? lixpect a challenging night out. in which you might expect to have to interrogate your own voyeurism.
This is one of two pieces presented by the Arches awards. which introduced an array of new talent to Scottish stages over the last few years. The second. The .ltinlt’.\' Dean Deal/1 .S't'ene. written and directed by Alan McKendrick. turns to another legend of the cinema. Fassbinder. for its inspiration. The story of a group of nihilistic people living on a disenfranchised Glasgow scheme who persecute an immigrant in the
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area. this piece promises many an insight into the
consequences of Britain‘s self—conscious creation of
an underclass over the last generation.
But there's far more to come from the Arches. with their theatre festival kicking off from I l April. The theme of the body as everything from a mechanism to a manifestation of our animality is prominent. Faultline‘s The Incredible Hit/nan Hear! Mae/tine is part of an ongoing exploration of the body. in this case the heart. as a mechanism. An even more rudimentary notion of the body is examined in Becoming Theatre‘s Beasts. in which bulls. pigs. chickens and dogs become the objects of human fascinations. With policemen and politicians wives involved. you can't help but expect some meaty satire here.
A more human exploration of such issues as gender and fraternity might be found in Rebecca Shiter play Danger: Hallow Sidewalk. directed by Neil l)oherty. In this multimedia event. two women meet tip in an abandoned airport. and suffer the impetus to keep moving on — but in what direction‘.’ It‘s a dilemma that also confronts the modern male at the centre of Martin ()‘Connor‘s Zagzii'ang. a character ever impelled on to new decisions and situations.
There's also a place for the vacuous and reifying politics of modern society in Kate Brailsford and Gillian Kerr‘s Shiver. a piece which explores the maddening pressures to buy into the property market that we face in modern society. There‘s yet more in this year‘s festival and. with the Riot Group on its way. too. it‘s hard to imagine there‘s not something enticing coming up for any audience.
The Arches and the Tron, Glasgow. See listings for details.
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THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
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* Roam It's not often that one enjoys being in an airport. so Grid lron's new site specific work has novelty value for a start. But beyond this there‘s a profound but often funny piece about the politics of the transient, and our attitudes to a succession of geopolitical issues revolving around our false consciousness about the ‘foreign'. Edinburgh Airport (transport provided from the Traverse Theatre), Tue 4-Sat 22 Apr.
3|! The Wolves in the Walls Director Vicky Featherstone combines with Julian Crouch. one of Britain's leading designers. to produce this version of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's book. A creepy and atmospheric piece for children and adults alike, this NTS production looks promising. Tramway, Glasgow, until Sat 8 Apr, then touring.
1! Perfect Ple Maureen Beatty directs Judith Thompson's play of troubled childhoods and uneasy adulthoods with distinction. The story of two old friends reconstructing their past after a long separation. this Stellar Quines production features some tremendous ensemble acting. Touring.
* Aruba Rob Evans' immensely entertaining and surreal comedy makes a return after a great deal of acclaim at the Fringe. The story of a group of neurotic yuppies' visit to a mythical holiday island contains plenty of satire mixed with light comedy. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 13-Fri 14 Apr 1! Present Laughter This West End tour of Noel Coward's classic boasts the excellent Simon Callow in the lead. One of the most durable actors of stage and screen, his presence alone seems to promise entertainment. King '3 Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 29 Mar-Sat 1 Apr.