Lyceum

Until Aug 31st

Alasdair Gray’s “Lanark: A Life in Four Books” becomes “Lanark: A Life in Three Acts” at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. If you’re not familiar with the novel, it’s hard to adequately communicate the ambition inherent to such an undertaking. Many folk have begun reading Lanark, perhaps for a course in Modernism, or for their Advanced Higher, or out of that same obligation to their delicate ego’s sense of its own intellectual superiority that leads many of us to plough doggedly through anything we’re told is seminal, or canonical. Not a small number of folk cite it as their favourite novel, and you can tell a real enthusiast when you meet one, absolutely. But one suspects that a fair few of those are just showing off the fact that they’ve made it to the end of the thing -like Ulysses but with added Scottish nationalism. And as Gray himself notes in one of the book’s many glib references to its own intersexuality, he and Joyce have much common ground, culturally, thematically, stylistically; in having set out to write a book that would challenge, shock, madden, embarrass… a book that was, like its protagonist, difficult to love, but which given the proper time and attention, proves impossible to fall out of love with. How does this book of so many types; so realist, so giddyingly modern, so unreal, so magically realist, make it off the page and onto the stage? Janice Galloway said of Lanark, “it was not the story so much as the voice in which the tale unfolded, the eyes through which it was seen, that compelled.” What is Lanark then, without its narrator?

These considerations are, no doubt ones that writer David Greig and director Graham Etoughhave given ample consideration to, and the play is steeped in the original text, generally to brilliant effect. The play is also, mercifully, its own thing, and incorporates the stage, and the fact of it’s staging, brilliantly, in a way that delights, deconstructing the theatre within the theatre much as the original uses a novel to deconstruct the concept of the novel itself. Aye, a Fringe’s-worth of smaller budget shows in cramped venues with newly “qualified” RADA or Le Coq graduates throws up the occasional gem, but the International Festival represents theatre at the top of its game, and Lanark fits right in. The innovative props, the mind bogglingly clever and stylish set, the seasoned actors. Greirson, is a slightly underwhelming protagonist, but then so is Lanark, so perhaps this is all very clever. The stand-out turn is Paul Hickey as Sludden –really properly charismatic and nasty. The play is nearly four hours long, and there are bits and bobs that I think could have been gainfully cut, decisions that were made to impress, rather than to further plot or theme. For example, in Act 2, the protagonist is played, simultaneously by each member of the cast, with actors stepping out to enact various formative memories before stepping back into the collective, which speaks and moves in unison. It has no seeming function, other than to demonstrate an impressive onstage cohesion, but this is not a novel about cohesion, it is about a man falling apart, a world falling apart, and it just didn’t need to be there. There is much, for all that, that is deeply impressive, visually stunning, and appropriately difficult. The lady next to me complained to her partner that, having not read the book, she did not know what was going on. I wanted to tell her that had she read the book, she would know that her state of confusion was bang on the money. FOUR STARS

Reviewer : Katie Craig

1A Hill St

27th-31st

15:30

Now this was a God send, the Angels answered my prayers. I awoke this morning feeling a bit sorry for myself. I was needing a bit of TLC. I live alone you see and have been single for quite some time. After I receiving my Mumble mission of the day I headed for my date with destiny. I was greeted warmly by the handsome producer as I waited for the performance to be called. Venue 1A Hill Street, is an office that has been remarkably changed into a small well equipped theatre, that is welcoming and warm.  This lovely piece of theater was just what the Angels ordered. A tale of enduring but unfulfilled love. The play begins at school in the nurses office when our hero’s are 13 years old. Doug (The Boy) is an accident prone young man, there was more than a little resemblance of myself at that age. Throwing caution to the wind and riding his push bike off of the school roof ,Evel Knievel  style. Doug comes out worse for ware and ends up in the nurses office.  Kayleen (The Girl) is there because of a stomach bug and sickness. The portrayal of the 13 year old characters was perfect and very funny.

This 90 minutes of brilliant theatre visits our hero’s at different stages of their lives. It is always the serendipitous nature of Doug’s accidents that bring them together. Kayleen has a healing touch. In one scene Doug loses an eye and Kayleen comes to visit him in hospital. Doug pleads for Kayleens healing touch. This brought tears to my eye’s, no,  more than that I was fare greeting. There are deeper issues that are touched upon like Kayleen’s self harm of cutting herself with a razor, but no real explanation as to why she would do such a thing. Although the subject matter was quite dark by nature, this was a story of how the love between two people can last a lifetime with a constant tension of will they or won’t they get it on. Indeed it is a tale of the healing properties of Tender Loving Care and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The stage lighting was superb and the acting and script were very entertaining  Indeed. A top notch 90mins of afternoon entertainment. Tender Loving Care. FIVE STARS

*****

Reviewer : Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert

Liquid Room Annexe

Aug 27-30

20:25

****

‘Married to herself. Divorced from reality.’

I’ve seen a few one-human shows this Fringe, but none of them can touch Christel Bartelse’s widely-toured Oneymoon for sheer entertainment. Like a love-filled, fluff-bunny on crack, this Canadian comic-actress flounces about her stage with the joy of teenage girl before her bedroom mirror initiating herself into the world of fashion. Her story is a simple one. She is one of those modern women who, searching for the perfect husband to come along for so long has become quite neurotic about it, & absolutely insists that on a first date she & her prospective mate must list each other flaws in order to determine compatibility. These neuroses have then tipped her over the edge into ‘where’s-my-medication‘ delusional behaviour – & at the start of the play we find her on honeymoon… married to herself!

Of the plays creation, Christel told the Mumble, ‘I was struggling with my own issues surrounding relationships, being single & a fear of commitment. What did I really want? I decided to go on a Solo Beach vacation. As I was packing, it felt like I was going on a ‘Honeymoon for one’… a ONEymoon.’ After her time at the beach, & a spot of being unfaithful to herself with a waiter named ‘Roberto,’ Christel returns to her life in the big city. Although firmly committed to herself, we witness the inevitable break-down of her ‘marriage.’ Just because she was married to herself doesn’t mean the marriage is special – it too becomes under the same pressures that any conjugal commingling is under. She begins to argue with herself, while the vibrator becomes a cold, unfeeling piece of plastic… it used to be out four times a day, then once a week, & towards the end of the play once every two months!

Surreal, silly & splendid, Oneymoon is a jolly romp through a woman’s insecurities & phantasies : a most special play garnished with a special performance. FOUR STARS

****

Reviewer : Damo Bullen

Venue 13

26th-29th

17:15

£6-£8

Venue 13 is a small and well equipped comfortable theater, a peaceful enclave in the throbbing heart of the Fringe! Its always a pleasure to come here and the surreal experimental theater that is performed here always makes me think.Dark Matter proved to be no exception to the rule of thumb!

This was a dark and very poignant tale of capitalism and greed meeting a fitting end at the hand of revolution from the people. The play opens with the heroine fighting the need not to drink. There.is a knock at the door and in walks a disheveled man with a torn sleeved jacket. Having just walked the riot torn streets outside.The drama unfolds as the couple move through the shadows generated by fear and disillusionment, while the world that they have built crumbles around them.

With a sharp twist in the tale, we are transported to a different reality. Where the revolution had been overturned by genocide. Perfectly reflecting the governments of America and The United Kingdom’s push to alienate and punish the most vulnerable in society. Political genocide to protect big business and greed.

With a cruel twist of karma at the end, there are no winners in this portrayal of a dystopian future. Although a work of fiction. This is a play that could very easily portray the outcome of Austerity, especially with current levels of greed running amok.Unfortunately, we are living the prologue of this well thought out script. As the title of the Performance suggests, Dark Matter, is very dark indeed.  THREE STARS

***

Reviewer : Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert

This was probably one of the most frustrating performances I have watched, on account of it being one of the best shows around when each segment is being reviewed separately, but as a whole piece, it was difficult and confusing.  I saw the show with another person who agreed with this opinion afterwards.

The music is done by a trio who use a variety of instruments, such as; a double bass, a fiddle, a bass, acoustic and electric guitar and some of the percussion family.  They perform on stage throughout the entire play and are my favorite element of the show. Their mixed sounds of hillbilly rock and blue grass create another dimension to the performance, and the sound effects produced are brilliant accessories to the atmosphere.

The costumes; corsets and stockings, vests, braces and Levis – are authentic to mid 19th Century America and the accents are also well done, to help set the scene for this cirque style western. The ability of each performer is stellar; well delivered lines, facial expressions and timing, all are on form and they each perform more than one character each. Subtle costume changes help to differ between the varying characters, which is all done on stage in front of the audience and the musicians also move to new parts of the stage to help outline scenes with a change of location.

****

However, there is a complicated story line of one plot and two sub plots too keep up with. I am not sure if it was because we got too caught up in paying attention to the quirky details of the show, or if we were just too tired by the stifling heat of the venue, but neither of us managed to fathom out the story to any mutual end. We discussed it at length afterwards, but our perceptions had varied well outside feelings and opinions about the performance, into disagreeing on the actual plot line itself; as to which actor played each character, and indeed at one point, even who each character was meant to be!

****

Reading up about the show prior to viewing it is advisable, having some context on the characters in advance will be of great use to an audience member. Parlor girls, drunks, bar brawls, murder, singing and comedy all feature in this Breadknives production. FOUR STARS

****

Reviewer : Bobbi McKenzie  

Assembly Rooms

24th-30th

15:30

*****

The creation of this eye-catching, wit-soaked, taboo-popping piece of contemporariness was a brave moment in the artistic spheres, but glad I am that RCS-trained Johnny Knight made the effort. Last week I saw a great piece of Dance theatre from wheelchair-bound Catherine Bowditch, & this week – unwittingly I might add – I found myself watching Wendy Hoose. ‘I’m sure that girl has no legs,’ I thought when looking at her as she lay in bed, clad in sexy lingerie awaiting her tinder-summoned one-night-stand. ‘Her legs must be under the bed in a secret compartment,‘ I thought as the covers were whipped from her in shock by said tinder-fellow after he found himself groping thin air. ‘Fu*k, she’s got no legs,’ I thought as she began to move about the bed on her arms. This was real life. Suspension of disbelief had no place in this theatre.

*****

*****

Wendy Hoose, by production company Birds of Paradise, is a true triumph of modernity… the OBP (obama-becomes-president) of the early 21st century that breaks through our Victorian thespianity. Bristling with the comedy forged from the bantering of Paisley folk in full flow, & flavoured with poignant touches every lover can relate to, Wendy Hoose is a wee Weegie masterpiece. Performed to sign-language, which appears as a TV in the bedroom, & with an audio description inbetween the dialogues, Wendy Hoose can be enjoyed by anyone… able-bodied or no. It pushes brusquely at our inbuilt social restraints until they snap & fall to the floor like the shackles of suffragettes, leaving all who observed Wendy Hoose a little wiser, & a little more liberal… an effect very few plays, or playwrights, could ever achieve. As I upped from my seat at the final curtain, a fellow in front of me piped up, ‘that has restored my faith in theatre,’ – which just about says it all really. FIVE STARS

*****

Reviewer : Damo Bullen

Underbelly

24th-30th

12:20

***

There is a play extant in the world that contains some of the most exquisite wordplay & soul-penetrating pathos… its name is Scaramouche Jones by Justin Butcher. The play opens at 10:30 PM, the last Millennium eve, with Jones returning to his dressing room after a show at the circus. Turning to the audience, as he rapidly approaches his centenary & his death, he goes on to relate the story of Jones’ first fifty years of life – beginning with his bastard birth to a prostitute. The thing is, after an hour or so you really do hope he’d hurry up & die – there is a certain & inevitable tedium that comes with an old man waffling through his past in normal society, so translating it into entertainment is not, I dare say, a perfect way to conduct a piece of theatre.

*

Pete Postlethwaite as Scaramouche Jones in 2009

*

There are clever touches, some beautiful Victorian English which slide-shows verbally over a lovely tour through Africa & continental Europe, including some harrowing descriptions of digging mass-graves during the Nazi genocide. Thom Tuck is also an excellent Jones, & if one enjoys experiencing the very quintessence of acting, then his rendition is well worth experiencing.  But one is left ultimately with the feeling that most fringe shows are between 45 & 60 minutes for a reason, & if production companies can reduce Shakespeare to within those confines, then surely they can do the same with other plays. Disembarking from my raft of criticism, however, Scaramouche Jones may tickle certain sensibilities – but it will not be to every one’s taste. THREE STARS

***

Reviewer : Damo Bullen

Traverse Theatre 

7th-30th August

Times Vary

£8-£20

 *****

“Who said smashing things up was a bad thing”

This powerful play involves three women who struggle in different ways with self-destruction and self-acceptance.  The play cleverly switches between the three characters, two of which live in the same building.  Ann suffers from severe mental illness and cannot resist the urge to destroy everything in her flat from mirrors to wall paper and eventually the floor boards.  She hasn’t left her house for two Christmases and survives on tins of food in her cupboard.  Her neighbour is aware she has difficulties and tries to speak to her through the door, but she faces her own problems suffering from a relationship break up, seeking solace in the bottle and smashing a mirror and tv, which cuts and disfigures her face. The 3^rd character Sam, is a woman who struggles with her gender identity and has made the decision to live as a man; but beaten up by thugs and rejected by many women, Sam struggles with self-acceptance.  She is attracted to Ann’s neighbor and thus their lives are inextricably linked.

*****

A harrowing tale which would be difficult to watch but for the outstanding script and touching humour, which carries and engages the audience,  and tackles many real issues of self-destruction, social isolation, self-harm, becoming housebound and losing touch with reality.  Mercifully the ending is positive for the three characters and hope is the parting emotion. Written by Olivier award winner Stef Smith, directed by Orla O’Loughlin and acted by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Anita Vettesse and Emily Wachter.  A highly professional and polished performance which sensitively addresses the all too common difficulties of our times.  Don’t miss this show! FIVE STARS

*****

Reviewer : Sophie Younger

Bedlam Theatre

August 22-30

21:30

£9 (£8)

****

​

This was a daring and inventive piece but quite difficult to experience; a modern classroom version of Sartre’s Huis Clos, where 3 characters are placed in a room (two students and a young teacher in a detention room) and mentally torture the hell out of each other for what at times seems like eternity.

There was quality acting across the board, but Olivia Duffin who plays Taylor really put on an electric performance, throwing in some quite shocking moments. Sometimes you’re not sure if you are meant to laugh or not, either with her or because of her behaviour. Her aggression, racism and increasing levels of disrespect are appalling. However, despite her behaviour, her fighting attitude and audacity gives her a weird kind of kudos and fosters concern for the root of her obvious frustration.

It wasn’t as easy to have sympathy for the bland, incapable teacher, even though it’s clear he is way over his head trying to keep control of this rapidly unravelling situation. His obsession with following the prescribed rules gives him no space to get real and talk honestly with the students, which underneath their aggression is what they actually need. The play touches on some important sad realities of classroom dynamics in Britain today; the fact that the personal problems of the students, including racism, Islamophobia and the hypersexualisation of adolescence are beyond the remit of the teacher even though they spill over into the classroom situation. It also underscores the fact that many British teenagers now experience the pressures of a social world from which most teachers are completely divorced and are helpless to guide them, especially if they come from a completely different background.

The pressure mounts as the play continues, forcing the characters to reveal some of their personal histories, fears and frustrations, but it’s thinly veiled or outright hostility that drives the process. As the power struggles and shifting alliances intensify, you’re no longer sure who you like and you dislike, until you are forced to accept them as full human beings rather than one-dimensional characters. This gradually rounding out of the characters is what gives the play its power.

In a way the detention room became like a therapy room, a modern Breakfast Club, but empathetic sharing and listening it certainly is not, except perhaps on the part of the audience. Interestingly, two friends joined me for the performance, and one was full of sympathy for the teacher’s predicament and the other nothing but contempt for his weak character. I wondered how the rest of the audience felt. The strong acting and lively pace certainly makes it worthy of FOUR STARS.

****

Reviewer: Lisa Williams