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Fierce
- Tour & World Premiere.
Playwright & Co-Director - Justin Young.
Director - Janie Abbott.
Set Designer - Becky Minto.
Costume Designer - Jessica Brettle.
Lighting Designer - Paul Claydon.
Composer / Sound Designer - Philip Pinsky.
Choreographer - Allan Irvine.
Singing Vocal Coach - Marion McNeill.
Comic/Graffiti Projection - The 16K Design Works.
Graffiti Artist - Nico Major.
Dramaturg - Zinnie Harris.
Company - Grid Iron Theatre Company Website
.
Cast - here .
2003 Tour Dates and Times - here .
Seen to review at Tron Theatre Glasgow on 8 May 2004.
Run Time - 1 hours 20 mins no Interval .Contains bad language and
some scenes of violence, this production is recommended for age 15+
Reviewer - Thelma Good.
Hip-hops with sharp edged anger.
Fierce - Grid Iron Theatre Co Production.
Mark Arends as Finlay and Cora Bissett as Annie.
© Richard Campbell 2004.
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It's a musical, a play, a wake up blast from the young ignored creative
crews, a romance, a tragedy and could be an techno-opera and has break
dance slow-mo break-outs.
Fierce, set in a grey Edinburgh scheme, has Finlay as the main character.
He's not your regular guy, he's got twitches, a different way of seeing
the world and he has to pop a pill every three hours to keep himself sort
of straight. Mark Arends does a real fine job of being Finlay,
the character's vulnerability and talent with colour transforming monochrome
surroundings both come through.
Philip Pinsky's multi-paced score brings up the volume, working in the
sounds of city and supermarket life. Finlay has a part-time job there
working alongside Geri a very young Mum, the beautiful voiced Catherine
Whitefield, who has along with Finlay's Mum Annie some raw and moving
song solos. Cora Bissett's Annie is play with a real sense of the
hard won strength that has got her to 29. Finlay just beaten up by Chav
Barry, made truly scary by Garry Collins, and his side kick Choonz,
Steven Cree, has the talent to become a tag king Wee Bab realises.
He befriends him and introduces him to the rest of his crew, Pokey, Ross
Allan and Edi, Helen McAlpine. This production is very well
cast with the actors who can sing, dance and be very real and sharp.
What follows is a story of how their canvas grows from dark, neglected
corners to spread to buses and move towards the ultimate goal a train.
In their success comes trouble. The police are after them, the Evening
News is headlining them and worse of all Chav Barry of the PMT (Pure Mental
Team in case you wonder I certainly did!) has decided whoever Fierce is,
he needs stopped. In a script informed by many contacts with young people
all over Scotland Justin Young has created a script which delivers uncomfortable
messages about a group that are mentioned in one lyric as our first minister's
"McConnell's Nightmares." The production hip-hops with the feeling
of sharp edged anger from people who have talents and ability but just
don't fit into the politicians' qualification driven Scotland. Allan Irvine's
choreography and Becky Minto's flexible set which displays the Manga style
illustrations of Finlay's feeling add to a production which is full of
integrity.
Fierce should leave you sitting up and taking notice whether you have
tagged a whole car or need GirdIron's programme glossary to understand
these subcultures of creativity but viewed as destructive by the authorities.
It contains passion and challenge as well as a very funny song with it's
more serious reprise, full of bad language. This Gird Iron show leaves
you seeing how graffiti looks through its creators eyes and how youth
will out however we stupidly try to repress it. Think of West Side Story
shot through with a Scottish Blood Brothers and you'll rush to get a ticket.
© Thelma Good 8 May 2004. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Cast: Pokey - Ross Allan, Finlay - Mark Arends,
Annie - Cora Bissett, Chav Barry - Garry Collins, Choonz - Steven Cree,
Wee Babz - Tommy Mullins, Edie - Helen McAlpine and Geri - Catherine Whitefield.
2004 Tour Details of Play Theatre's production
of Play .
Tour begins
Preview 7 May at 7.30pm Glasgow Tron Theatre, 7.30pm 0141 5524267.
8 May at 2pm & 7.30pm Glasgow Tron Theatre, 0141 552 4267.
12 May at 7.30pm Livingston Howden Park Centre, 01506 433634.
13 May at 7.30pm Livingston Howden Park Centre 01506 433634.
14 May at 7.30pm Kilmarnock Palace Theatre, 01563 554900.
15 May at 7.45pm Cumbernauld Theatre 01236 732887.
18 May at 7.30pm Campbeltown Victoria Halls, 01586 554469.
21 May at 8pm Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 2281404.
22 May at 8pm Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 2281404.
25 May at 7.30pm Tranent The Loch Centre 01875 615415.
27 May at 7.30pm Aberdeen The Lemon Tree, .01224 642230. doors open at
7pm.
28 May at 7.30pm Keith Longmore Hall. 01542 882028/882223. Keith CC &
Library.
29 May at 8pm Inverness Eden Court 01463 234234.
1 June at 7.30pm GalashielsVolunteer Hall 01750 724901.
2 June at 7.30pm Dunfermline Carnegie Hall,.01383 314000.
4 June at 8pm Stirling macrobert 01786 642230.
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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