THE BALLAD OF CRAZY PAOLA Arne Sierens/Stephen Greenhorn. Traverse/Tour to 10 No

Edinburgh/ Tour

THE BALLAD OF CRAZY PAOLA
by Arne Sierens, in a version by Stephen Greenhorn

Traverse Theatre to 20 October 2001, then touring Scotland to 10 November
Runs 55min No interval

TICKETS 0131 228 1404
Review Thelma Good 9 October

A lover, a brother, a drummer – but no overall driving beat.Dressed in black, Raymond (half-brother) and Paola (former lover) fight over drummer Serge's memory in an elevated red-ringed circle that echoes both Sumo ring and drum. Raymond arrives in Paola's life again when he answers her ad. for a drumming tutor, though Paola takes a while to recognise him.

The non-realistic direction by Philip Howard and set by Mark Leese, with Paddy Cuneen's drum music, mark the stages of the two combatants' bout-like encounters. However, the lighted panels turning on, off or dimming behind the set, merely distract.

It's not only the lights that flicker; the script does too. Some scenes have tussle and emotion, but it's all generated from the characters' past; they don't spark anything new in one another. Yet Kathryn Howden fascinates as Paola, who's now so turned off, tuned out, conventional and controlled she contorts dried flowers into Ikebana and her past into a safe, warm affair. And Billy Boyd pulls us in as Raymond, the overshadowed younger brother left at home with his mother. Harmless enough at the start, something about his older brother Serge rankles, making disturbing undercurrents.

Paola and Raymond scrap fiercely over their very different versions of Serge. At the play's end they are much as when we first encountered them – still locked in their versions of themselves and of the drummer brother/lover. At times during the play there are signs of stronger, richer melodies. But in this version, and I suspect in the original, the ending, despite its insight, is a downbeat fade rather than a striking climax or memorable rhythm.

2001-10-12 08:27:34