www.list.co.uk/theatre
Theatre
REVIEW -~: . BAILEGANGAIRE
The Arches. Glasgow. until Sat 8 Mar 00
' ’.' " 1 ‘ ' ,\ 1 H w ' : . b 1 ‘ . ~. , ,‘K, 1 ' ' ' 1 ' l! ‘ ' " l"' "'l' " "'t' 2 'uil ' ' ° ' ' ' l ' " ’r" l‘:."l“. "°vl i: Imp 1 umpl, 3‘ °" .1' "» 9 ' 'wr~ 'm: ‘3? l'- 'T'Ii u f'i‘r' 13°- 21" .' lli w. : fwr» 2 fr 1'1 inli' 'oi'n" Ml NM"; 1' 2 A A ml" 7.1" . 9‘4. 111'» H m'i '1 )HK media hype teaching us to fear kids of this age. Their 11- i'rl. T1 3r v :1. 2. {.1 l : Falkirk Town Hall, Thu 13 Mar, then touring oooo experime"‘5.w"h Se" mugs?“ b°°z.e might we" "‘ ‘ "‘ " W ” " T? 3 ' ’ provoke a wrnce of memory in an audience, rather than i .u l' Ti -' .-..m w..- r ‘Y 11' .l". The anxieties and dilemmas of teenage life seems to be the dread we associate with the BBC news. A '1 ~ in w ul 1' w :‘v v ‘Mw r» ‘l n mar ’~ --* the theme of the moment in Scottish theatre. But it‘s curmudgeon might complain that a reference to Ili'Im Mun Will." ix. 4|. m l h, min. -. -' hard to imagine that they could be approached with teenage suicide and classism aren't as fully explored as M. l‘ Iv v it ~ H «mm
such guile, deftness and warmth as in DC Jackson‘s they might be, and that the plot twist can be spotted in qmr» :' 1.1.: ism m .c« :w .n: m 1 r' 3' new play for Borderline and the Tron. the first five minutes. But all this would be missing the 1m: .1 .Tl."l, Irw- l ll w '»~ In it we meet Barry (Scott Hoatson), enduring the long point: the great quality of Jackson’s writing is its 4m :1 z, 1. ' v ,. .‘r w: i» r' summer holidays, and awaiting his Higher results with sureness of tone, inspired wit and ingenious wordplay. l: m; 'v 'v vi :3 * l' ' , r. um n r.
trepidation, mainly on the edifice of the title, which is This is a piece that never misses an opportunity to it u, m mi. i-r‘.‘ it: v ,r l0 f situated in a park in leafy Stewarton. His fears, though, entertain: a lighter approach to the issues is its Malian n r v l i» in ‘ .w in 1: NW)! v
are banished by Michelle (Kirstin McLean) who makes all the running in a tentative romance. Meanwhile, his mate Rab (Finn den Hertog) is infatuated with the local shopkeeper’s daughter, but, lacking the courage to approach her, steals a ball of hash from Barry’s wee sister Norma (Sally Reid) in order to maintain his loutish, bad boy image. But each of their families have histories to conceal, and everyone knows that parents cause trouble.
Gregory Thompson’s production in front of Becky Minto’s simple park green set liberates all the playful sweetness of Jackson's script, which debunks the
;‘ 1 t1 1’ .11 m l l 1 ‘ ’ 1 , i; ) 1 :1 t( l 1‘ 1' 1 1 1' ‘. 1 I 1' ' ‘ 1 i v y '3‘ r. r I ‘1 ' u‘rlv ‘ /. v r ,. (I I ' r v ‘r r '. if 1 r 1» r 0 g 1 I r ' v ‘H v r' ‘ r I r r I r, r~ (\/ r ',r r I! r ‘ r ' Y 1 ' 1 1 ,Xp/(i \) 1 ' 1 t 1 o i ' 1w r ‘ I. . 1 _ 11 , ’,/ ' 11 y '(r 1. II. 1 J ' if r 'C\ r .r, ‘ Ir (1 wit 7 (, I r‘tr/v I ' ‘7 l I f. 1 1 u '1‘ 1 ‘° ‘It'r/ I“ .r’ “'K ’ "T- H‘ " 1 1 1 1 " , 1 ’ 1 K, 1 1 1 ._"' , :1, , , 1'1 1, 1. {, ' ,u’l .‘, ’1 1 1 '1. H 1 ’ 1 r, ’ ' ’11; .1; 1” 1 /{1 A II 1 1 r ,1 V ‘. .(n ' ’{1 'V’ {-H‘P'g' tr‘ .r 7" f."c'ri _- u; 5' ' ‘ 3 \ 0 , 1 r r m ,/{, r '{,r "\ “‘ ‘ I ‘ _\ ‘1 1 1 , 1 1 1 1 1 r- 1 v /‘11 I
90 THE LIST .‘ ‘ 3.1::
strength. A happy ending is inevitable — it even looks like Rab, the ned radge of courage, will get a girl to chav and to hold at close of play.
There are moments where one is reminded of Galton and Simpson in Jackson's comic explorations of the idioms of Ayrshire and the sly humour of everyday, banal observation. Meanwhile, there are such splendid performances from all four members of the cast it seems invidious to pick any one out, though Reid’s irritating wee pink-clad sister with a power for malapropism (at one point she fears Barry will become anoraktic) is a special treat. (Steve Cramer)
6w : ,9 Mi
PREVI THE B ANK ALBUM
Paisley Arts Centre, Thu 13 Mar; The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 18—Thu 20 Mar