theatre
REVIEW
Edinburgh International Magic Festival Magic is considered by many to be an outdated and tired form of entertainment; but over the last three years Magicfest has sought to make us think again about this age-old craft. This year the Edinburgh International Magic Festival will explore visual theatre with over thirty performers taking part, many of whom are Fringe-fixtures – one conjuror having gained his place after winning Magicfest’s Close-Up Magician competition in its first year. Performers include the charming and classic card magician Matthew Dowden and Britain’s Got Talent’s acute mind reader, Colin McLeod. However, fingering through this year’s programme and seeing entertainers like Card Ninja amid the usual black-tie clad conjurors, there’s an obvious desire to keep audiences intrigued with edgier and more flashy performances. The Ninja first made himself known around the city at the Fringe two years ago: somewhere between a novelty and an old school
close-up magician, he is a representative of a new wave of magicians who have abandoned the stereotype of the top hat and tails for an edgier take. Elsewhere, the black magic duo Voyageurs Egares look to be a highlight as they explore the absurd and the melancholic with the dark pageantry of the circus. Artistic Director Kevin McMahon says he hopes to “inspire the audience in every show with the art of the impossible.” Magicfest has proven popular with kids and there’s a selection of interactive classes on Street Magic, one-off technical workshops and five-day courses where young magicians learn everything from card tricks to levitation. Yet tradition has not been abandoned entirely: the festival starst with a gala variety night. Cabaret is not just for burlesque and the fringe... [Rebecca Paul] The festival runs from 29 Jun to 6 Jul Magic and Variety Gala Show Fri 29th Jun The Royal Lyceum Theatre 2.30pm (Preview): All tickets £10 7pm: £20/£16 adults, £16/£12 conc, £10 child Duration: 2hr 30mins with interval
The Chairs Tron Theatre
Previous visits to Scotland from Sligo-based company Blue Raincoat have seen frenetic adaptations of Flann O’Brien’s novels given a physical theatre energy that matches the author’s ferocious wordplay and scatter-shot surrealism. Returning with a script that has become a twentieth century classic might even be seen as a step backwards. However, The Chairs was writted by Ionesco, master of the absurd, and promises no less then the revelation of the secret of life. Blue Raincoat’s first production of The Chairs in 2005 was an award-winning celebration: the company’s enthusiasm for treating the stage set as
an extra character in the drama meshes well with Ionesco’s own vision for The Chairs - the finale relies on objects more than words. With the theatre community’s emphasis on new writing sometimes obscuring great works of the past, this is a welcome outing for a play that is hard-hitting, intelligent and bleakly comic. Described as a “tragic farce”, it shares the aggression of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot: Blue Raincoat add a vivid, visceral power. [Gareth K Vile] Tron Theatre, Glasgow Wed 13 – Sat 16 Jun, 7.45pm Traverse, Edinburgh 7 - 9 Jun, 7.45pm www.blueraincoat.com
www.magicfest.co.uk
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Scott Miller is a Lying Cheat Vespbar
rrrrr Sonic Boom blast forth with the self-styled ‘oneman rom-com’ directed by Claire Sheppard and starring Kenny Boyle, who co-founded Sonic Boom while at university to create theatre opportunities for people of their age group where there were few. This immensely engaging comedy written by the pair doesn’t let a minute go by without a hilarious quip or observational witticism, while scenes of drama have the audience immersed in a deep hypnosis that none dare break. Sonic Boom have really sunk their teeth in. Delivering for seventy-five minutes without a break is a formidable task, but Kenny Boyle a formidable actor. His comic timing flawlessly extends through punch-line jokes, ranting monologues, flippant asides, and particularly excellent characterbased humour. Scott Miller... is the tale of a slightly sociallyawkward university student evolving from romantic zero to three-timing anti-hero. While for the main part the story is relayed by the eponymous protagonist, Boyle also draws on a large supporting cast, seamlessly jumping into their skins, each
52 THE SKINNY
June 2012
with their own peculiarities and body language, from the droning brother to the boisterous and bawdy best friend; the frustratingly charismatic and squeaky-clean good guy dating the object of Scott’s affection; a professor of the science of SMS Textology, and many more. One has to wonder if the pair had someone in mind when creating each of these breathing, vivid, comic depictions. The script itself is a golden asset which deserves to be revisited and restaged time and time again. The final scene does comes across a little affected, which is underwhelming in the context of the originality of the piece otherwise, particularly as the culminative line is given away in the title. But any other contentions lay not with what was there, which was excellent, but more with a lingering hunger for certain threads to be expanded. There is a longing to see more of Amy’s frustratingly charming boyfriend, and to hear of how Scott taking her home distressed escalated into a full-fledged romance. The desire for more within such a play goes as much to its credit as to its detriment - the quality of writing is distinguished and its delivery exceptionally charismatic. [Antony Sammeroff] Run ended sonicboomtheatre.com/scottmillerisalyingcheat
Krapp’s Last Tape & Footfalls The Citizens’ Theatre
Dominic Hill’s first season as artistic director at The Citizens has been a clear statement of intent. While he promises a few surprises in the next year, his “trilogy” of serious scripts - Pinter’s Betrayal, King Lear and finally the Beckett double bill of Krapp’s Last Tape and Footfalls - announced that Hill was not only playing to his strengths as an interpretor of texts but continuing the tradition that made The Citizens a producing powerhouse in the late twentieth century. Hill is more than willing to challenge himself. “I felt we needed to say that we are about putting on the greatest writers in the world: and so - Pinter, Shakespeare, Beckett. My motive for becoming a director was reading plays as a student and saying, I want to see this! I still get that thrill when I read a good play.” Kay Gillie - who is taking on an unusual role in Footfalls (her character never comes on stage) - adds that there is a new energy in the building. “It is an amazing atmosphere and there is always so much going on,” she says. “It really is a hive of creativity. You meet actors you have not seen for ages and get the chance to chat about different productions. It is a very stimulating place to be.”
As the final production of the season, a Beckett double bill is a brave choice. By casting Gerard Murphy as the titular hero, Hill brings back an actor who made his name at The Citizens in the 1970s, deliberately recalling the theatre’s glory days. And Beckett - a rare example of a modern playwright who is both popular and experimental - is well known enough for Hill’s version to be compared to recent productions. Gillie, fresh from The Steamie’s successful tour directed by Tony Roper, admits “I am definitely a Beckett fan,” having played ‘woman‘ in The Arches’ production of Rockabye. And while Beckett is known as a writer, his use of theatre goes far beyond the script: the tactic of keeping one character off-stage, Gillie adds, “is part of a range of classic Beckett style elements. It is part of something larger. For me the role also still requires that connection with the live theatre audience. This is what makes Beckett so special.” [Gareth K Vile] Citizens Theatre 30 May - 9 Jun Various Times and Prices www.citz.co.uk/whatson