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Excuses!
- Tour & British Premiere.
Premiered in Barcelona in 2001.
Playwright - Joel Joan & Jordi Sànchez.
Director - David Grindley.
Adapted by Gordon Anderson.
Dramaturg - Pep Anton Gomez.
Literal Translation - Matthew Tree.
Designer - Tim Shortall. (Doon MacKichan's and Robin Weaver's
costumes supplied by Paul Smith.)
Lighting Designer - Jason Taylor.
Sound Designer - Nick Manning.
Fight Director - Paul Benzing.
Company - ATC Website
and Kràmpack Website in assocation
with Soho Theatre Company Website.
Cast - here .
Venue - Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 228 1404 Website.
Dates - 20 - 22 Nov at 7:30pm
2003 Tour Dates and Times - here . It goes
to Soho Theatre London for six weeks till 10 Jan 2004.
Seen to review at Traverse Theatre Edinburgh.
Run Time - 1hours 35 mins including 15 mins interval in Edinburgh
will run with no interval in London.
Reviewer - Thelma Good.
High charged energies superbly handled.
A door maybe missing, because of the cramped Traverse Two stage, but
this smash-hit Catalonia play, reset in London for its British premiere,
has the Edinburgh broadminded audience roaring with laughter and sometimes
painful recognition.
Christian's cooking fish stew the one his partner Olivia said she liked
at his mother's. Working at home, architect Christian's been redesigning
beams to cope with the eccentricity of their load - the eccentricity of
his load is cranked up and up during this short tight and fast play until
everything explodes under the strain. Alexis Conran's Christian
is a suitably inherently nice, wishy washy thirty-something, given to
running round in circles, not getting anywhere in a performance which
feels related to Bill Nighy.
Olivia, Doon MacKichan rushes in from her job to their fashionable
loft apartment, all steel, blonde wood and deep red wall, she's getting
changed to go out with Christian to a hard to book restaurant, Clearly
this couple need to find time to talk.
They never do as his friend and fellow architect, more thrusting in many
ways Matthew, Alistair Petrie, invites himself round to discuss
the idea he's had in New York. His so glamorous girlfriend In-the-media
Suzanna, Robin Weaver, joins them, dropping Celeb Names on the
wood boarded floor and picking up the latest in Olivia's life. Each brings
more high charged energies into the room, MacKichan's Olivia is
tense and edgy, Petrie's Matthew hyped up soaring on over belief
in himself while Weaver's Suzanna has the stiletto sharpness of
I'm-going-to-get-on shielding her sensitivity.
The rate it runs at is frenetic and the cast are fantastic, getting all
the twists turns and sharp reversals of the evenings. There are two, 'cause
we see them a very telling one year later, towards the end. Lots of physical
humour are thrown into the pot, handled by this top ingredients cast like
a dream. David Grindley's direction keeps the pot boiling and spitting,
ensuring it never boils over or loses the farcically flavoured rising
momentum, he has great skill in this so very tricky form.
Translating with ease, if with some adjustment, to Britain from Catalonia
it has elements of Albee's How's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, spiced up
and delivered with this century's live fast, play fast in a designer world
seasoning. Being thirty, trying to get on, have a good time and coping
with the little surprises life and fertility can fling at you life even
if you might be coping a bit has its grim moments. ATC's Excuses! hits
the ground running and has the audience whooping with delight with its
fine edged understanding.
© Thelma Good 20 November 2003. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
I recommend checking out going to Krampack's Website
which has an English version and going via it also to their highly successful
TV show Plats (Dirty Dishes) Website
which has a cartoon section. Explore the street scene and click on the
doors - don't miss the one on the roof, you can dress the man inside!
Cast:Christian - Alexis Conran, Olivia - Doon
MacKichan, Matthew - Alistair Petrie and Suzanna - Robin Weaver.
2003 Tour Details of ATC's production of
Excuses! .
Tour begins
5 & 6 Nov at Trinity Theatre 01892 678678.
8 Nov at 8pm Bedford Bowen West Theatre 01234 219333.
13 - 15 Nov at 8pm Bristol Old Vic Studio 0117 987 7877.
17 & 18 Nov at 7:45pm Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524.
20 - 22 Nov at 7:30pm Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 228 1404.
25 Nov - 10 Jan No perfomances Suns and 22 - 27 Dec and 31 Dec & 1
Jan at London Soho Theatre 020 7478 0100 (24 hrs) or 020 7478 0151.
Tour ends.
Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is
thelma@edinburghguide.com
Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the
information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted
for any errors or omissions.
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