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| Edinburgh : A&E : Theatre: Reviews |
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Theatre listings > Red Sun
- Tour & World Premiere. It might have been a coincidence that David Rudkin's new play, Red Sun, had its first performance on September 11th this year, but somehow I doubt it. For it seems unlikely that the company and the writer would not be attracted to the idea of unveiling this powerful allegory about the lengths people will go to to escape from imperialistic oppression on such a resonant anniversary. The play opens in a forest clearing where the shaman, Wana-apu, has resolved to use his powers to bring to life a warrior who can free his tribe from slavery. By turns despairing and excited, he literally breathes life into a creature he names 'Adamu', and it is the tides of power in their relationship - teacher/pupil, parent/child, master/servant, creator/destoyer - that carry the play's themes. Is the lust for power an innate quality in all beings? Must it be satisfied? And does the cure hurt more than the disease? Visually, Red Sun relies a lot on the physical presence of Mick Jasper as a kind of giant toddler. As Adamu, he pouts and points and stamps his feet, all quite incongruous with his fluffy chest-hair and scraggy ginger beard. It's always risky playing the faux-naif, but Jasper's performance always carries enough menace to stay the right side of twee. Indeed, the harder Wana-apu tries to control him, the easier it is for Adamu to follow his own will. The only sanction left to the shaman is to utter the 'death-word', hinting at a bleak and inevitable cycle of creation and destruction. With a carefully layered performance by Iain Armstrong as the
tormented shaman, and clever soundscapes by Dirk Campbell, Red Sun is
a timely creation myth rendered in a simple, storytelling style. Quality
theatre. Theatre listings >
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