TILT. To 25 November

Edinburgh

TILT:
WHITE POINT
by David Priestley
BROKE
by David Lescot (in a version by Iain F MacLeod)
DISTRACTED
by Morna Pearson.

Traverse Theatre (Traverse 1) To 25 November 2006
Tue-Sat various times (2 plays nightly, all 3 from 5.30pm Sat)
Runs White Point 1hr 5min Broke 1hr 15min Distracted 1hr 10min No interval in each play

TICKETS: 0131 228 1404.
www.traverse.co.uk
Review: Thelma Good 4 November2006.

Two cheers for new work at the Traverse.
Three roughly one hour plays form part of the Traverse’s Cubed3 Season, which aims to draw together collaborations with other artists, and get more new work on to the Traverse stage. Great aims and two out of the three Traverse productions do have the energy and invention of the new.

David Priestley’s White Point is a love-triangle with a modern woman at the apex. Graeme’s the dull dependable one, Robert’s never going to settle. The dialogue is believable but a successful play needs more content. The set does nothing to aid the thin text. The spinning periaktoi* with their various scenes on each face are displayed inconsistently, so confusion arises and it becomes unclear whether we are in two time strands or one.

David Lescot’s Broke, also a world premiere, is a much more complex and satisfying piece, which will be staged in its original French as Un Homme en Faillite in 2007. The Man, David Ireland, is left by his girlfriend and Gary Collins’ intriguing Designated Liquidator starts coming round to help him sort out his debts. Retreating from engaging with life, the Man and the Liquidator’s encounters become more and more emblematic and interesting to follow as the Man feels himself taking up less and less space in the world, while Abigail Davies’ brief scenes as the Woman are imbued with intense sadness. Iain F MacLeod’s version keeps the humour and the sadness equally balanced, while Lorne Campbell’s direction gives time for the surreal mood of the piece and the characters’ emotions to develop.

Morna Pearson’s Distracted is a rich, well-detailed piece about two young males and the older women they live with. Jamie’s different, always counting, observing, trying to find who he is. George-Michael’s got a Mum, a very young Mum, Bunny. Jamie’s come to the static caravan park with his Granny. All are damaged, all flotsam trying to float to a place closer to a safe centre, but the boys are still young enough to try and make sense of the strange world they live in. Pearson’s dialogue is inventive, moves the heart and makes you laugh. Her characters are full of acute depth and this strong cast, joined by the striking Anne Lacey, all enact them superbly. Distracted is that rare thing, a sharply-faceted theatrical gem.

*Periaktoi - Three flats set in the form of a prism on a revolving base, thought to originate in classical Greek theatre, it enables very fast scene changes.

White Point
Lesley: Abigail Davies
Graeme: David Ireland
Robert: Gary Collins
Broke
Woman: Abigail Davies
Man: David Ireland
Designated Liquidator: Gary Collins
Distracted
Jamie: Gary Collins
George-Michael: David Ireland
Bunny: Abigail Davies
Granny: Anne Lacey

Director: Lorne Campbell
Designer: Lisa Sangster
Lighting: David Holmes

2006-11-08 09:33:36