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Theatre listings >
Stitching
Playwright - Anthony Neilson Other Productions
coming of his plays
Director - Anthony Neilson
Designer - Bob Bailey
Lighting Designer - Chahine Yavroyan
Sound Designer - David Denholm
Companies - The Red Room
& The Bush Theatre
Cast - here
Tour Dates and Times - here
Seen to re-review at Tron Theatre Glasgow on 13 November 2002
Run Time 1hrs 25 mins no interval
Reviewer - Thelma Good
Confronts being human through and with its shocks
Stitching - The Red Room/Bush Theatre Co-Selina Boyack and Phil
McKee as Abby and Stuart
© Geraint Lewis 2002
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Encountering Neilson's work Stitching for the first time after it's controversial
reception when it premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe I went expecting
strong disturbing meat. I was not disappointed. But is it merely shocking
I don't think so.
In the open minutes of the first scene Selina Boyack and Phil McKee impress
and they continue to impress in performances which ensure Neilson's text
yields very revealing reactions in its audience. Couples, exs and singles
laugh in recognition at a couple's arguing routine while trying to decide
if they're going to have baby they have conceived.
The next scene, set before in their story, pulls us all up short as we
see Stuart bring back Abby to his place and she demands money before they
start. Her scale of charges also catches attention, not quite the normal
street values. Poking back into their pasts and forward into their shared
and separate futures we piece together how they got to the first scene
and beyond. And it's not a comfortable sewing bee far from it.
Hard, appalling images are used. But Nielson and his designer make sure
the images apart from a few are in our head, suggesting by describing
rather than by seeing the images. Neilson who along with Kane and Ravenhill
are described as protagonists of "In Yer Face Theatre" goes
too far for some, some of the images come from WW2 concentration camps
and infamous child murders.
The play takes us through a trail of horrific human actions and times
downloaded from the net, in books - available for any kind of use a human
mind can find sexually stimulating. It also contains scenes of considerable
tenderness between Abby and Stuart. At times the song of the fixing mice
from the children's series Bagpuss is used, " We will fix
it, we will mend it." It also lightens the mood or at least until
chilling in the last but one scene.
Avoid Stitching if you don't want/like to go into the dark and
shocking ways many people try to relate and/or get intense feelings. On
the other hand if you want to experience a difficult, challenging play
that does confront being human through and with its shocks it's a go see.
Stitching, directed by its author and containing two extraordinary performances,
never loses sight of the confusing, appalling mix of goodness and corruption
human beings essentially each contain.
© Thelma Good 13 November 2002. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
See also the review of this production when seen
at Festival Fringe 2002 review by another EdinburghGuide reviewer, his
opinion is quite different.
Text is available from venues during tour for special programme price
and from Anthony Neilson's publisher Methuen
and good booksellers
Cast:
Abby - Selina Boyack.
Stuart - Phil Mckee.
Tour dates for Stitching Autumn 2002
1 - 24 Aug Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 228 0404
10 Sept - 12 Oct London The Bush Theatre 020 7610 4224
17 - 19 Oct Guilford The Mill Studio 01483 440 000
21 & 22 Oct Newcastle Live Theatre 0191 232 1232
24 & 25 Oct Norwich UEA Studio 01603 592 272
29 Oct - 2 Nov Plymouth The Drum Theatre Royal 01752 267 222
12 - 16 Nov Glasgow Tron Theatre 0141 552 4267
19 & 20 Nov Warick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524
21 & 22 Nov Essex Lakeside Theatre 01206 873 261
Tour Ends
And now for a very different view of the same
production
Review from 2002 Edinburgh
Festival Fringe
Stitching - Tour dates
Companies - The Red Room
& The Bush Theatre
Venue Seen Traverse Theatre Edinburgh returns on tour to
Tron Theatre Glasgow 12
- 16 November at 7:30pm 0141 552 4267
Reviewer Daniel Winterstein
Stitching is a good example of bad shock tactics. The language is foul,
but worse still is the imagery - which drags in every vile thing writer-director
Anthony Nielson could think of (including, but not limited to, prostitution,
pornography and violence). Even Auschwitz gets included in an unpleasant
and entirely gratuitous way.
It's all a bit pointless, leaving me disappointed rather than outraged.
The only reason for it is to bolster an otherwise inconsequential play.
Behind the swearing and the nastiness there is nothing that's genuinely
controversial - because there is nothing here to make the audience think.
The story is of a failed relationship. It's an unromantic comedy, told
in a clever structure of flashbacks and flash-forwards centred around
an argument over having a baby. The production isn't bad. Selina Boyack
and Phil McKee are very convincing in challenging roles. Nielson directs
well, there are some good jokes and the play moves along at a fast pace.
A shame that it's such a pile of ......
© Daniel Winterstein, 4th August 2002
Productions of Anthony Neilson's plays coming
In Scotland
The Censor - Dundee Rep
The Night Before Christmas - Dundee
Rep and also from
TheatreFusion a touring production
In London
The Lying Kind - Royal Court London
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