Festival THEATRE
S D O O W Y N O H T N A
BECKETT AT THE FESTIVAL A focus on the Irish author at the International Festival
the Festival
B eckett at is a major programme of the Irish author’s TV, radio and fiction works adapted for the stage. Inevitably, given the scale of the project and the affection Beckett commands in theatre, there are impressive names in the lineup - and the companies behind the productions (Gate Theatre, Dublin and Pan Pan Theatre) have established themselves as being vibrant bearers of Beckett’s flame.
Eh Joe is perhaps the biggest pull: starring Michael Gambon (The King’s Speech) as the man in a dressing gown facing his past alone. Directed by Atom Egoyan – better known for his films which owe a great deal to Beckett’s absurdism – Eh Joe was originally a TV play but shares the unflinching moral intensity of Krapp’s Last Tape. I’ll Go On, presented by Gate Theatre, adapts extracts from Beckett’s trilogy. These
118 THE LIST 22 Aug–19 Sep 2013
novels share the play’s love of language: more than just recitations of key monologues, Barry McGovern’s performance will bring a new life to some of the most profound meditations on the human condition of the 20th century. Far from paying homage to the words, Pan Pan Theatre promise to add new dimensions to the radio play Embers by adding sculptures from Andrew Clancey as an integral part of the production: their All That Fall is on the boundary between theatre and sound art.
The vision of Beckett emerging from this programme is not unfamiliar but it reveals how the theatrical potential of language was always in his mind, whatever medium he was working in. (Gareth K Vile)
Various venues, 473 2000, Fri 23 Aug– Sat 31 Aug, £8–£20.
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HITLIST THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
✽ The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning Highly topical drama from
National Theatre of Wales about the former soldier who leaked huge quantities of classified data to WikiLeaks. See review, page 119. Pleasance @ St Thomas of Aquin’s, 556 6550, until 25 Aug, times vary, £12–£14 (£10–£12).
✽ The Tobacco Merchant’s Lawyer
Cheeky look back at Glasgow’s murky past that seems oddly prescience in the light of the forthcoming referendum. See review, page 120. Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, until 25 Aug, 1.30pm, £10 (£9).
✽ The Epicene Butcher and Other Stories for Consenting Adults
Idiosyncratic stories from the Japanese tradition that came long before anime, but has that same atmosphere of strangeness and erotic terror. Witty and dynamic, it has an other- worldly magic in its tales of meat and mayhem. See review online. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 26 Aug, 7.20pm, £12–£13 (£11–£12).
✽ Missing Gecko may be Fringe veterans by now, but their physical approach to theatre shows no signs of tiring. A woman looks back at her past to discover where she lost part of herself that may prove to be vital. See review online. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 25 Aug, 1pm, £11.50–£15 (£10–£13.50).
✽ Anna This site specific show uses the tightest of spaces to create a
claustrophobic horror that is all the more terrifying for being based on real life events, as one woman battles the state’s human rights abuses. See review online. Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, until 25 Aug, 8.30pm, £10 (£8).