MODERN DANCE
AUSTRALIAN DANCE THEATRE
Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 30 & Sat 31 Mar 0000
The phrase ‘blink and you miss it', has great resonance in the dance world. Fast-paced leaps and turns can pass before our eyes. without fully registering on the brain. Which is why this full-on journey into the world of dance photography is so fascinating. Australian Dance Theatre is known for its high-octane style, punishing choreography (for them, not us) and uncompromising musical choices. And Held is no exception. Dancers hurl themselves into the air, then crash ferociously to the ground as industrial rock blasts from the speakers. Dressed in ripped tights, Marilyn Manson T-shirts and thick eyeliner. the dancers glare out at us provocatively. But that's only half the story. What makes Held so special is the presence of Lois Greenfield. One of New York’s finest photographers, Greenfield's work has graced the cover of many a magazine and billboard. Striding onto the stage. she positions herself squarely in front of the dancers and starts snapping away. Capturing each gravity—defying leap with her digital camera, Greenfield's images are instantly relayed onto a large screen. Moments lost to our slow eyes are handed to us for a second time. to fully appreciate the skill involved. On screen, the incredible height reached
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Review
NEW TRANSLATION AALST
Tramway, Glasgow and on tour. 0000
by these dancers suddenly becomes apparent. Photographing two or three dancers at a time, Greenfield builds
If you like your theatre cosy, comfortable and reassuring, don’t go within a mile of Aalst. A
information than you thought you needed to know.
The brilliance of Heyvaert’s production, however, is that it’s not merely pornography for the privileged, presenting instead the beginnings of an explanation of how such a gruesome crime was committed. Our instinct is to write off the parents, Cathy and Michael Delaney, as monsters whose abhorrent behaviour can only be described as evil. Yet, under the cross
mid-air montages. which, had you not just watched them happen. you would swear were computer-generated. (Kelly Apter)
collaboration between Pol l-leyvaert’s Belgian Victoria company and the National Theatre of Scotland, Aalst is the harrowing true-life tale of a couple who checked into a hotel in 1999 and, in the course of a few days, murdered their two young children. It is horrible and horribly compelling.
It is theatre as car crash, a grim examination of the case that uses the original language of the court, filtered through Duncan McLean’s vivid, unsentimental translation. Echoing the legal process, the script jumps back and forth, forever returning to the scene of the crime for further forensic detail. If you had the choice you’d look away in horror as the children’s murders are described with simple, factual precision, giving more
questioning of an unseen lawyer (the voice of Gary Lewis) on a nondescript set of man-made fibres, they reveal themselves to be two terribly damaged people operating under principles which, however warped, follow their own logic.
Speaking into microphones as they respond to the god-like questioning, Kate Dickie and David McKay are nothing short of brilliant as the parents. Their gaunt faces, moist eyes and gauche honesty show us the vulnerable children behind the callous criminals. Without diminishing the awfulness of the deed, they 1 make us see that society let them down long before j they returned the compliment. If you have the stomach, it’s a show you shouldn’t miss. (Mark Fisher)
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NEW WRITING MONKS
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 7 Apr 00.
Faith is a commodity in short supply in our society. But this doesn't stop people from seeking it wherever they can. With the decline of religion, love has become the form of metaphysical belief of choice for many.
And it’s love. perhaps more than religious belief, which lies at the heart of Des Dillon's new piece at the Lyceum. in it, we meet Fabian (Robin Laing). a monk complete with the permanent penance of a ball and chain, whose artless attempts to rebuild a demolished chapel at the top of an Italian mountain are constantly interrupted by seekers after miraculous cures. One of these, Suzanne (Frances Grey). needs to forget her husband. who's abandoned her for an 18-year-old. She’s joined by Pat (Peter Kelly), an alcoholic Glasgow builder and his emotionally and psychologically unsettled mate Davy (Stephen McCole) who've
brought Jay (Paul Thomas Hickey), whose violent sectarian past has left him catatonic. All are menaced by the local hard man Jo (Joe Montana) and a rather venal abbot (Matthew Zajac).
In Mark Thomson's production Dillon’s character-driven morality tale emerges with a bittersweet grin and a wink at its audience, making some memorable observations on religion, love and the class divide as it progresses. Secrets emerge and the structure pairs up the characters of this fable in a manner reminiscent of the work of David Cregan. If Becky Minto’s mountaintop. replete with images of an olive tree and a coca cola sun brolly illustrating nature and its opposite. limits movement. it also adds nicely to the intelligently chipper feel. All the same, strong performances, particularly from Kelly’s radge old builder and Grey’s prim, posh wifey don’t quite overcome the flaw of a slightly overlong running time and a sudden, rather vexing ending. All the same, it's worth keeping faith with the piece's engaging humour. (Steve Cramer)
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WEN THCKETS TO SEE MDNKSE
We've got three pairs of tickets to give away for Monks at the Royal Lyceum on Tuesday 3 April. Simply email promotions@list.co.uk with ‘MONKS' in the subject line by Friday 30 March. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Usual List rules apply.
29 Mar—12 Apr 2007 THE LIST 83