Theatre

Beyond the Barricade Tue 28 Feb, 7.30pm. £16–£24. See King’s Theatre, Glasgow.

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. Swallows and Amazons Until Sat 4 Feb, 7pm (Thu & Sat mat 2pm). £17–£24 (£14–£21; family £60; children £8.50–£12). Arthur Ransome’s classic tale of children on boats is brought to life as an action-packed musical adventure directed by Tom Morris and featuring music from The Divine Comedy. Scottish Opera: Hansel and Gretel Tue 14, Thu 16 & Sat 18 Feb, 7.15pm. £10–£67.50. See Theatre Royal, Glasgow. Funny Peculiar Mon 27 Feb– Sat 3 Mar, 7.30pm (Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm). £15–£28. Comedy in which a small-town grocer is led astray and into the arms of his neighbour. Featuring Craig Gazey, Suzanne Shaw and Vicky Entwistle. THE JEKYLL & HYDE 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. Gutter Lane Fri 10 Feb, 8pm. £8. Gin- soaked Victorian-themed performance night, with burlesque, comedy, cabaret, acrobatics, music and more.

THE QUEEN’S HALL 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. A Gilbert & Sullivan Gala Sun 12 Feb, 7.30pm. £10. The Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society perform a selection of popular musical classics as they celebrate the centenary of WS Gilbert.

ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848.

✽✽ The Infamous Brothers Davenport Until Sat 11 Feb (not

Sun/Mon), 7.45pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £14.50–£29. See Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. Of Mice and Men Fri 17 Feb–Sat 17 Mar (not Sun/Mon), 7.45pm (mats on Wed 22, Sat 25 & Wed 29 Feb, Sat 3, Wed 7 & Sat 10 Mar, 2.30pm). £14.50–£29. John Steinbeck’s powerful tale of two field workers’ pursuit of the American Dream is directed by John Dove, the man behind the Lyceum’s successful run through Arthur Miller’s back catalogue in recent seasons.

SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579.

✽✽ Passing Through Fri 10 & Sat 11 Feb, 8pm. £10 (£8). See Tron

Theatre, Glasgow. When Abel Met Cain Tue 21 & Wed 22 Feb, 7.30–8.25pm. £10 (£7). Storytelling performance combining myth, fantasy and real life to delve into the roots of the Israel/Palestine conflict. Part of the Middle East Festival. Theseus and the Minotaur: A Love Story Fri 24–Sat 25 Feb, 7.30pm (Sat mat 3pm). £10 (£7). Audiences are treated to an exclusive TV interview with heroic monster killer Theseus in which he airs his thoughts on conquering the terrible minotaur. Storytelling theatre with flamenco music and dance added for good measure. Part of the Middle East Festival. Tyi Wara The Earth Hero Wed 29 Feb, 7pm. £6 (£4). A performance combining physical storytelling, contemporary dance and Malian music to tell the story of a mythical hero who came to the people of Mali to teach them how to tend the land. Part of the Middle East Festival.

ST BRIDE’S CENTRE 10 Orwell Terrace, 346 1405. Edinburgh City Ballet Sat 18 Feb, 2.45pm & 7.45pm. £10 (£8). A new company performs a triple bill of Michael Fokine’s Les Sylphides, a new Antarctic-set dance theatre piece, Towards the Unknown Region, and dances from Carmen. 116 THE LIST 2 Feb–1 Mar 2012

TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404. Gobo.Digital Glossary Thu 2 Feb, 7.30pm. £15 (£6–£11). Employing everything from the quaint shadowplay to the cutting edge lasers Akhe Engineering Theatre from St Petersburg presents a frenetic series of sketches to amuse, delight and move. Part of Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival. Snapshots Fri 3 Feb, 7.30pm. £15 (£6–£11). Part One consists of three short pieces of puppet theatre: Divided by Two by Ailie Cohen and Gerry Mulgrew, Pac a Mac by Shona Reppe and Mark Thomson, and Grit by Tortoise in a Nutshell and Dominic Hill. Part Two, Her Cup of Tea, explores themes from Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Part of Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival. Luvos Sat 4 Feb, 7.30pm. £15 (£6–£11). Austria’s Editta Braun Company presents a visceral vision of a future in which humans have received grotesque genetic manipulations. Part of Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival. The Return of the Great Puppet Horn Sat 4 Feb, 9.15pm. £15 (£6–£11). Satirical shadow puppetry from Jeremy Bidgood and Lewis Young. Part of Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival. Snookered Thu 16–Sat 18 Feb, 8pm. £17 (£13). A group of young British Muslim men meet on the anniversary of a friend’s death, for their annual game of pool and a few drinks. But as the drinks go down, the secrets emerge. World premiere of a new play by Ishy Din, who has just been awarded a Pearson Playwrights Bursary. See preview, page 111. The End Fri 17 & Sat 18 Feb, 7.30pm. £17 (£13). Adaptation of a tragicomic short story by Samuel Beckett, produced by Ireland’s Gare St Lazare Players and performed by Conor Lovett. See preview, page 111.

✽✽ Mwana Wed 22–Sat 25 Feb, 8pm. £17 (£13). See Tron Theatre,

Glasgow. Ana Thu 1–Sat 10 Mar (not Sun/Mon), 7.30pm. £6–£17. Whenever Ana is faced with a decision she splits in two, leaving behind an old self in order to survive. But her old selves catch up with her, and she must reconcile them. Bilingual Scottish/Quebecois production from Stellar Quines and Canada’s Imago

Theatre, written by Clare Duffy and Pierre Yves Lemieux. Ages 14+. Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow.

USHER HALL Lothian Road, 228 1155. Anton and Erin: Let’s Do It Sat 18 Feb, 7.30pm. £15.50–£39.50. Hole in the Wall presenter and Strictly Come Dancing star Anton du Beke partners Erin Boag in a dance show accompanied by George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Kander & Ebb and Cole Porter. THE VOODOO ROOMS 19a West Register Street, 556 7060. Itsy Presents: Kabarett Fri 24 Feb, 7.30pm. £10 in advance; £12 on the door. An alternative variety showcase with twisted cabaret performance from: Marnie Scarlet, Cherry Loco, Miss Annabel Sings, Miss Hell’s Belle, Puff Uproar and the Shimmering Sound Affair, Dee Itsy, plus live DJs, comedy music and visuals.

WHITESPACE 11 Gayfield Square, 07814 514771. Arch in the Greenhouse Thu 1–Sat 3 Mar, 7pm. £7 (£5). New work by Michael Shand and his company, That’s Lunch Productions. OUTSIDE THE CITIES

BYRE THEATRE Abbey Street, St Andrews, 01334 475000. Murder at Morrison’s Thu 2 Feb, 7.30pm. £7. The Friends of the Byre present their latest musical murder mystery. As You Like It Tue 7–Wed 8 Feb, 7.30pm (Wed mat 2.30pm). £7. Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy about changes, chances and the game of love. The Trial Fri 10 Feb, 7.30pm. £14 (£8–£12). See Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Thu 16 Feb, 7.30pm. £14 (£8–£12). A musical comedy in the great Music Hall tradition, staged by Townsend Productions. Passing Through Sat 18 Feb, 8pm. £12 (£8–£10). See Tron Theatre, Glasgow. St Leonard’s Sixth Form Wed 22–Fri 24 Feb, 7.30pm. £8 (£6). St Leonard’s School Sixth Form presents a favourite musical. Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Sat 25 Feb, 8pm. £14 (£8–£12). See

DISCOVERY POINT Discovery Quay, Dundee. Booking via Dundee Rep, see below. A Play, A Peh and a Pint: Spirit of Adventure Tue 7–Sat 11 Feb, 7.15pm. £10 (£8). Dundee Rep teams up with Glasgow’s Oran Mor to present a specially commissioned piece of theatre performed at the visitor centre for RSS Discovery to mark the centenary of Scott’s Antarctic expedition, complete with pie and pint to enjoy beforehand (performance starts at 8pm). See Oran Mor, Glasgow.

DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530. Barflies Thu 16–Sat 18 Feb, 9pm. £10. Award-winning play drawing on stories and poems by Charles Bukowski to explore the highs and lows of drunkenness, performed by the award- winning Grid Iron company in the upstairs bar at Dundee Rep.

✽✽ Steel Magnolias Wed 22 Feb–Sat 10 Mar (not Sun/Mon), 7.30pm (Thu

& Sat, 2.30pm). £15–£19 (£6–£14). The tale of six small-town American women who regularly meet at Truvy’s beauty parlour and whose friendship remains strong throughout all kinds of adversity. See preview, page 110.

MACROBERT University of Stirling, Stirling, 01786 466666. Swan Lake Sat 4 Feb, 7.30pm. £10. See Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow. An Appointment with the Wicker Man Fri 17 & Sat 18 Feb, 7.30pm. £10. See Theatre Royal, Glasgow.

✽✽ PUSH Thu 23 Feb, 7.30pm. £12 (£7–£9). See Platform, Glasgow.

U.Dance 2012 Sat 25 Feb, 7.30pm. £6 (£4). Some of Scotland’s best youth dance groups showcase their skills, with the best groups going on to take part in the landmark U.Dance 2012 event at the Southbank Centre as part of the London 2012 Festival.

PAISLEY ARTS CENTRE New Street, Paisley, 887 1010. Double Nugget Wed 22 Feb, 7.30pm. £10 (£6). See Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow.

Sex, Chips and the Holy Ghost

Oran Mor’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint strand springs back into life with a funny, provocative new work from Jo Clifford. Sex, Chips and the Holy Ghost stars the playwright herself in the role of a transgender nun, with David Walshe as a gay priest, both of who have been expelled from their vocation and decide to go into business together, cleansing souls. While funny and tender, the piece also turns its guns on the banking system and the attitude of the churches towards gay marriage. Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Sat 4 Feb.