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Gorgeous Avatar. - Tour
& World Premiere.
Director - Philip Howard.
Designer - Mark Leese.
Lighting Designer - Kai Fischer.
Composer - Jon Beales.
Choreographer - Andrew Panton.
Video Artist - John Alder.
Company - Traverse Theatre Company Company
Website | Production's
Blog |.
Cast - here .
Venue - Traverse Theatre Edinburgh 0131 228 1404. In Cambridge
St near the Usher Hall.
Company Website .
Dates - Previews 5 - 7 May at 8pm.
9 - 20 May 2006.
9 - 13 May and 16 - 20 May at 8pm also Matinee on 14 May at 5pm.
Tour Dates and Times - here .
Seen to review at Traverse Theatre Edinburgh on 9 May 2006.
Run Time - 2 Hours 10 mins with one Interval.
Reviewer - Thelma Good.
Worth seeing for the second act.
Jules Horne's first full length play is worth seeing for the acting
and the second act, but the first drags despite the strong cast and Philip
Howard's direction. It may also confuse those who know nothing of the
many worlds contained within computer games' virtual realities where people
meet and represent themselves via their Avatars.
Amy is an agoraphobic, using her keyboard to make purchases and conduct
her work, in her leisure hours she's virtually met and fallen for an American,
Rafi. Outside is the Scottish glorious countryside, it an computer images
rendered in glowing colours by John Alder on video screens placed
so that one appears to be Amy window to the outside she never goes out
to. Neighbour and local Rose is attempting to make a year long transformation
video in a morning - the TV company are coming for it about 2pm with Dan's
help. He's another neighbour, an Englishman who used to come here every
summer as summer as a boy, now he's here trying to get away from a problem.
Horne has a fine ear for the rhythm of speech, the way people only half
speak the sense of what they say. Una MacLean makes sure that Rose's
intense remembrance of past romances is conveyed. While in the increasingly
strong second act Pauline Knowles and John Kazek handle
with consummate skill the tender, hesitant first in the flesh meeting
of Amy and Rafi. He's quite unlike the stereotype versions of him Amy
conjures up in the first act.
Like almost all first full length plays, Gorgeous Avatar has too
few stories and levels of meaning, making it frequently more like situation
comedy, than a full textured and coloured painting. The Traverse nurturing
of new writers seems to result in comfortable, rather uncomplicated plays,
ones that neither anger or excite. This Traverse season is called Still
Crazy After All These Years - if only, if only.
Perhaps their recent increase in funding will enable them to find the
wild, exhilarating energy the Traverse once had. In their fortieth decade
the work they produce is looking and sounding more and more safe and bland.
Though the the playwrights' new plays may hint at least they would welcome
an invitation to address a wider agenda. With the National Theatre of
Scotland, The Arches, The Playwright's Studio and A Play, A Pie and A
Pint, to name but four, also supporting and developing new writing in
Scotland, the Traverse really needs not only to vary its targets, too
often domestic these days, but also to raise its sights.
©Thelma Good 9 May 2006 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Avatar - In computer games an icon or representation
of a user in a shared virtual reality.
Cast -
Amy - Pauline Knowles, Dan - Patrick Hoffman, Rose - Una McLean - Ashley
and Rafi John Kazek.
2006 Tour Details of Traverse Theatre's production
of Gorgeous Avatar.
Tour begins
5 - 20 May at various times Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 228 1404.
23 May at 7.30pm Yetholm Wauchope Hall Tkts in advance from 01573 420366.
24 May at 7.30pm Galashiels Volunteer Hall Tkts in advance from 01896
758249.
25 May at 8pm Carlops Village Hall Tkts in advance from 01968 660388/01968
660727.
29 May at 7.30pm Dumfries Theatre Royal 01387 260447.
31 May at 7.30pm Ballachulish Village Hall 01855 811979.
2 June at 8pm Stornoway, Isle of Lewis An Lanntair Tkts in advance from
01851 703307.
5 June at 7.30pm Achiltibuie Coigach Community Hall 01854 622373.
6 June at 8pm Ullapool Macphail Theatre 01854 613336.
8 June at 8pm Strathpeffer Pavilion Tkts in advance from 01463 234234.
10 June at 8pm Isle of Skye Sabhal Mor Ostaig 01471 844207.
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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