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| Edinburgh : A&E : Theatre : Reviews |
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Theatre listings > The James Dean Death Scene - World Premiere. Directed by Alan McKendrick. One of the two winners of the Arches Award For Stage Directors 2006 & part of The Arches Theatre Festival 06. Playwright & Director - Alan McKendrick Inspired by Fassbinder’s film Katzelmacher. Production Manager – Abby McMillan. Set/Costume Designer – Kirsty Mackay. Lighting Designer – Stephen Moffat. Directing Mentor – Andrew McKinnon. Company - The Arches Theatre Company - Artistic Director - Andy Arnold. Website. Producers - The Arches Theatre, Tron Theatre, Traverse Theatre and The National Theatre of Scotland. Cast - here . Tour Dates & Times - Here. At the Tron, Glasgow 11 - 15 April and Traverse, Edinburgh 18 - 22 April. Reviewer – Graham Riach. Bleak, stark, and gripping. A sorry mattress, a Formica pub table, and an iron railing are the only landmarks for the six disillusioned, world-weary inhabitants of Alan McKendrick’s latest production. As he is the joint winner of the Arches award for stage directors 2006, I had high expectations. He delivered. Dressed in a lounge suit and aviator shades, Neil Campbell’s Sweeny exudes a sleazy charm, well balanced by his oafish sidekick, and brother in beer, Bruno, Duncan R Edwards. It takes the arrival of a bristlingly masculine Serbian, Emir, Neil Docherty, to jolt these two, and the wonderfully deadpan Sam, Robert Drummond, into action. What the newcomer brings to the surface is an ugly seam of racism, leading to an explosive and harrowing conclusion. As each character exists in their own bubble, the women of the play seem to inhabit a different sphere from the men. It is when these spheres overlap that male insecurities are brought to the forefront. In particular, the ambiguous power of part-time prostitute Kirsty, Sharon Osdin, provokes disquieting emotions. The dialogue of the play, although seemingly banal, reveals the inner insecurities of the characters. Each has a personal issue, but the general atmosphere is one of malaise – at times they seem to lose the will to speak, but the resulting silence crackles with unfulfilled desires. When they do talk, their eyes never meet – they are close friends, but seem indifferent to each other’s existence. This play is inspired by Fassbinder’s film Katzelmacher, which was originally set in an apartment in an industrial area of Munich in the 1960s. The ease with which the action is transplanted to a contemporary Scottish housing scheme paints a sorry picture of any supposed progress that has been made in our attitudes to foreigners. The depth of hatred inspired in the characters by his arrival is both shocking, and sadly believable. The opening props suggest that any society centred on casual sex and alcohol, combined with a feeling of social entrapment, can only promote ill will, and closed minds. Really gripping stuff - well staged, well acted, and well written. I hope to see more of Alan McKendrick, and I am in little doubt that we will. ©Graham Riach 12th April 2006 – Published on EdinburghGuide.com Review of K directed by Stuart Murdoch, the other winner of the Arches Award For Stage Directors 2006. Cast - Hanna – Vicky Bodane, Rosie – Patricia Kavanagh, Sweeny – Neil Campbell, Kirsty – Sharon Osdin, Sam – Robert Drummond, Bruno – Duncan R Edwards, Emir – Neil Doherty, Elizabeth – Yvonne Caddell, Henry – Alan Cesarano. Tour Dates of The James Dean Death Scene by The Arches Theatre Company. Tour begins. 11 - 15 April at 8.15pm at Glasgow, Tron Theatre Bookable 0870 240 7528 or 0141 552 4267. 18 - 22 April at 8pm at Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 228 1404. 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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