Festival Theatre

ON WONDERLAND

Curiouser and curiouser m

‘If I'm not the same. the next question is: “Who in the world am l'?"'. So said Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole and wound up in Wonderland, in the novel from which this play's central character Moia's (KerryaJayne Wilson) condition, micropsia, takes its common name.

lhe condition alters your perception, leading her to question her own identity and any truth in the world that surrounds her. In her search for herself, following the death of her father, she flees to l ondon, but can she learn to trust a constantly changing world and ever find happiness? The play deals With feeling lost, trapped and the way we perceive ourselves, the world and our place in it. Wilson's is an intense rx2rformance that benefits from its simplicity (one woman, one tin bath, a white lit stage) but that suffers in places from overly rapid delivery of the beautifully poetic dialogue. (Nicola Husband) I The Baby Bel/y, 0870 745 3083. until 26 Aug, 5. 10pm, l.‘S)—l,‘ 70 ($8430).

THIS PIECE OF EARTH lrish famine tragedy mo

Such is the scale of the mighty historical narratives of any country, that eventually, be it the holocaust, the war in Iraq or the Armenian genocide, it's difficult to convey the enormity of the tragedy in pure numbers. So just as we've seen the events mentioned above turned into comprehensible human struggles among identiliable characters over the last couple of years, so Richard Dormer's piece creates a human story from the Irish potato famine.

The famine play is a pretty familiar commodity in Ireland which has traditionally, and perhaps understandably. created a certain discomfort among British audiences. yet this piece breaks through for its love story alone. In it, we meet a married couple (Lalor Ruddy and Claire Lamont) in a field, too weak it seems to continue their journey to the ship which might take them to safety. Their recollections of a village decimated by famine. their early

BEOWULF Simple but effective storytelling no

Whether carved, scratched, printed, painted, sung or spoken, stories passed through the ages provide us with priceless knowledge about our ancestors and the ancient world. Although Beowulf’s author remains unknown, the subject matter it explores is believed to be formed through oral tradition, the passing down of stories by scops, or tale singers, the latest of which is Benjamin Bagby in this fine example of storytelling as part of the EIF.

It’s a story of epic events, heroes, good and evil. Alone on a stage with two candles, equipped only with a harp, Bagby sings and speaks the first third of this ancient work of poetry entirely in old English (aided by supertitles). In it, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, arrives from overseas to battle the evil outcast Grendel who has been terrorising the great hall of Heorat by killing all the

people within.

It’s the only major surviving work of Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry, and as such, has become England‘s national epic even though the action primarily occurs in Scandinavia. The work deals with elements of Norse legend infused with Christian inflections, which many argue were added later, depicting a Germanic warrior society in an existence governed by fate, which is central to Beowulf’s deeds in the legend. Bagby‘s delivery is captivating. Using the tone of his voice, harp music, shadow and facial expression, he draws you into a trance-like state as he recounts the first

part of this ancient tale.

Unfortunately, somewhat frustrating limited sightlines mean you are only able to catch glimpses of the man himself and may end up just listening and reading the tale on the TV screens providing the supertitles, which is not quite the desired experience. With such technologically advanced and complex ways of telling stories today through the likes of film and television, this piece is a potent reminder of the power of the lone storyteller continuing

an important tradition. (Greer Ogston)

I The Hub, 473 2000, until 22 Aug. 8pm, 5‘17.

romance and their current hopes for the future symbolised by her pregnancy are all given a tragic impetus by their enfeebled condition. It's a love story familiar enough in its emotional touchstones to create empathy, yet with sufficient historical authenticity to illustrate the political catastrophe at the play's centre. The actors perform admirably, their shaking, tWItching bodies working as a constant alarum of hope and despair, and Dormer is wise enough not to outstay the play‘s welcome. A powerful and moving afternoon of theatre. (Steve Cramer) I Underbelly, 0870 745 3088, until 28 Aug, 5.25pm, l.‘9—l‘10 (f‘8—l‘9).

SKOLKA

An engrossing insight into the plight of mail order brides mo

Three mail order bride applicants sell themselves to the audience, and before you know it you've followed their life history and found out exactly how they ended up smiling at a camera in desperation. This physically enthralling piece draws you into the lives of three Muscovne women struggling for their dreams. their independence and their men as we

100 THE LIST FEsTIVAL MAGAZINE 23 Aug—6 Sep 2007

embark upon a whistle stop tour of their somewhat unfortunate lives.

The actors' deliberate over the top delivery acts like the pro plus of theatre. provrding an instant energy boost. We see scenes of each of their lives and the circumstances that lrxl them to Moscow aided by their overt physicality and sexuality. The women apply for jobs, are betrayed by men. judged by their families and messed around by friends. It's the age old tale of how the big smoke can all too easily swallow you up.

WhimSIcal, tragic and engrossing, the piece conVincingly explores the way women are used and abused and how. under certain circumstances. they may end up using and abusing themselves. (Greer Ogston)

I Underbelly, 0870 7 45 3083, until 26 Aug, 6. 05pm. £8. SO—L‘Q. 50 (£7,504,860).

WISH I HAD A SYLVIA PLATH

Surreal Plathian recollections O”

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l dward Anthony '5; play takes ut‘ bark into a mock suburbia of the fit )1. to explore the last hours and

rix:ol|ectioiis of the poet of the title, here renanied l sthei led l lughes l'l turn, bixzonies Ned l’uglies and, at. in all l’lathian accounts of his life With hi 'l, he comes off as a selfish and yarn philandeiei.

Hut the piece is by no means a straight bii >giaplry_ choosing lll‘Lll'. id to explore a myriad of thoughts Whirh, it sp(x:ulates, might have run through l’lath's mind in her latter moments these include a surrealistic l /()/llt'.‘. and (la/dens style teleVision slit M, on which l’lath plays host, (l()(llllllt‘lllllll]_ [)elia like, a succession of recipes for personal disaster. lhere are some genuine coniic highlights to the tilt". e early on, Willi l’lath's (l lisalieth ( liay) interactions With inultiinixlia projections of her parents, Hughes and his mistr 2ss all being part of the fun, and there's also a nice line lll talking ovens. But whether these fully mesh Willi the unremitting darkness of the second half is a moot point All the same, ()ray's performance shows plenty of Wit and physical Vigour, and It's worth the admission even for those less interested in the poet herself (Steve ()rainer)

I Underbelly Baby Nelly. 0870 /«f‘; 8088, until 2(5Aiig, 7.4!)pin, £8.50 l‘f)..‘i0 (l‘/..’)() l‘8..‘i())

GAME THEORY

Static approach to war scenarios 0.

At the end of a war With some resemblance to the YugoslaVian conflict, a succession of scenarios unfolds. Three government officials negotiate fruitl 2sst over responsibility and territory, a woman returns to her abandoned, vandalrsrxl home With her two brothers in order to remember the avents that traurriatisrxl her, and a man seeks a meeting With a journalist who labelled hrrn a traitor With catastrophic conseguences.

Each story seems to explore the notion of the title and finds. perhaps unsurprisingly, that self interest is not