Clashes between siblings fascinate us, perhaps because we see in them the human urge to compete and succeed. 'The Price' centres round two brothers, one more successful than the other, just like 'The Man Who Had All The Luck', the Arthur Miller play John Dove directed at the Lyceum this time last year, and it makes for spell-binding theatre, every moment bristling with tension.

When their father dies, estranged brothers Victor and Walter are forced together to price the family furniture. Despite pressure from his wife to haggle with the dealer, Victor accepts the old man's first offer, perhaps taking pity on him, as he did with his own father. But just before the money changes hands, the wealthier brother, Walter, arrives unexpectedly, bargains for a better price and even offers Victor a job. The only problem is that Walter's bargaining skills and generosity not only show Victor up in front of his wife, they also add insult to the injury of perceived greivances from the past.

Indeed there is no getting away from old scores that need to be settled and the sense of being trapped by family history is reflected in the claustrophobic set. Antiques are precariously stacked in an intricate and fascinating design, while a long-silent harp and empty chair serve as ghostly reminders of the brothers' dead parents.

Just as the antiques are piled high like over-lapping memories so Miller cleverly layers up our understanding of their family history. The brothers exchange fragments of their past but, as soon as we believe one version of events, another slant on them threatens to undermine our first take. This sense of competing points of view is something Victor himself experiences as his long-held convictions that Walter is to be demonised and their father idolised are suddenly called into question.

The notion of clearing away the layers of denial to get to reality is alluded to in a particularly entertaining speech  by the old furniture dealer, Solomon. He explains that people don't like to buy antique furniture because its durability doesn't allow the owner the subsequent distraction of shopping for replacements. Instead the permanence of antique furniture forces people to face facts, as the brothers realise all too well.

While Solomon has some of the most profound lines in the play he also provides a great deal of light relief and James Hayes' performance is a real treat for the audience.

Taking things lightly is also a theme of the play, as one of Victor's problems is taking life too seriously and not being able to trust anyone. Just like David Beeves in 'The Man Who Had All The Luck' so Victor has trouble taking the good fortune being offered to him at face value.

When it comes to comparing 'The Price' with last year's Miller play directed by Dove, 'The Man Who Had All The Luck' was a thought-provoking piece of theatre, impressively performed, but 'The Price' surpasses it in terms of audience engagement, perhaps because it focuses instead on the less successful brother  and we find ourselves very involved in Victor's struggle, willing him to take Walter's offer and succeed despite his past. We feel as infuriated with Victor as his wife does, to witness Walter believing in his younger brother but having difficulty convincing Victor of his own self-worth. The question is, will Victor have the confidence to let go of the past and take up Walter's offer? Will he have the courage to value himself highly enough?

Indeed despite 'The Price' being about two brothers, one more successful than the other, Walter believes their bond goes deeper than their sibling rivalry and the play instead invites us to reflect on the value we are prepared to put on ourselves. Powerful, poignant stuff. 

Felicity Thomson

'The Price'  by Arthur Miller, directed by John Dove
The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
15th  January- 13th February 2010

Surely if you've seen one pantomime you've seen them all? Like the Christmas present you've already identified before it's been unwrapped, you may well assume you already know panto and its well-worn conventions, and that it's not for you. If that's the case you're in for a surprise with Jemima Levick's Peter Pan. Yes it entertains children with its own childlike sense of wonder but, unlike other pantos it also sends up the old conventions, giving the production a unique sparkle.

The characters are not your standard pantomime line-up. The typically whimsical Peter Pan has added depth as an adolescent really struggling to come to terms with his feelings for Wendy. Similarly Hook is not your average villain, instead he seems to self-consciously 'play the baddie'. The conflict between good and evil drives the plot so we might expect a more sinister Hook, even if the role is played tongue in cheek. Nevertheless the doubling up of Stuart Bowman as both Hook and Mr. Darling makes for a clever and unsettling comparison: is the father who mischievously spikes Nana's milk really so different from the pirate who maliciously poisons Peter? The doubling up of Tiger Lilly and Liza the nurse is equally unusual and Francesca Dymond switches between the roles with ease. Similarly casting a male Tinkerbell provides a refreshing alternative to the traditional panto dame. While the interpretation of Nana as a sweep reluctantly dressed up as a dog seems a little contrived, it nevertheless reinforces the overall theme of the play as a make-believe story put on by the children.

Interpreting the play as the children's fantasy is a clever twist that makes the story more believeable for adults as we then see it through the eyes of a child. The idea of play-acting is also brilliantly explored in the way the production is staged. Francis O' Connor's fascinating set centres round the children's giant bed which is magically trasnformed into the play's many locations, as if the children have never left the nursery and are instead pretending to be on an adventure. The stage itself also changes form, with the actors' suggestions: one moment they mime swimming, as if they're at sea, and the next they mime skating on ice. Even the kite that carries Wendy to safety cleverly doubles as the crocodile, continuing that sense of creative potential that children see in things.

Indeed while the production is unusually throught-provoking, with its unconventional characters and ironic approach to the fantasy, it still appeals to the younger viewers' sense of wonder. Not only does the vibrant, ever-changing set leave the audience eager to see where we are going to be taken next, but the illusions are equally compelling. The flying and combat scenes are convincing and skilfully executed and throughout there are touches of magic, like the sequence in which all the boys miraculously fit into Wendy's tiny house!

To sum up, Levick's Peter Pan is all about playing, whether with the conventions of pantomime or in the sense of play-acting or just childlike playing for its own sake. Instead of being formulaic this panto is, on the contrary, a celebration of free-thinking that would make Peter Pan proud. Indeed although I've been a panto Scrooge in the past, now the next time someone suggests that 'If you've seen one panto you've seen them all', I'll be the first to say 'Oh no you haven't!'.

Felicity Thomson

Peter Pan, The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
27th November 2009- 3rd Janaury 2010

Graham de Banzie's first play, "The Hat" tells a tale of love, loneliness and stylish headgear.

On a park bench, a successful young businesswoman named Iris (played by Pauline Knowles) tries desperately to deal with her subordinates' incompetence and stop her businesses from crashing to the ground without her constant supervision. While Iris is wrangling with telephone calls and wearing a rather smashing hat, an older lady, Rose (played by Vari Sylvester), nervously sits down on the bench with her book. When the two apparent strangers discover they have much more in common, the seemingly chance encounter takes a more sinister turn as the origins of the hat are revealed.

Both Pauline Knowles and Vari Sylvester deliver generally strong performances as Iris and Rose. As the play progresses, however, it becomes increasingly clear what the twist will entail, detracting slightly from its desired impact. Despite the audience anticipating the play's next move in advance, it remains an engaging piece of theatre.

Despite the actors' best efforts, however, the star of the show is undoubtedly the hat.

Listings:
Augustine's, George IV Bridge. 
August  8-16, 18-23. 4:25pm (50 minutes).
£7.00 (£6.00) (£5.50 SU).

SHOW: A BRITISH SUBJECT, Pleasance Theatre
12 August 2009 - £9.50

Mirza Tahir Hussain, a British subject, travels to Pakistan where he kills a taxi driver in self-defence. The young man is sentenced to death by hanging. He spends eighteen years on death row before a British journalist visits him to tell his story.

Nichola MacAuliffe’s play is the true account of this case and a scathing critique of the criminal justice system in Pakistan, the British authorities who would not save their own subject because their efforts might jeopardise British-Pakistani relations and the inhumanity of the death penalty. This poignant drama is extremely well acted and the relationship between MacAuliffe – who plays herself – and the condemned man is very touching. Both are deeply religious and although MacAuliffe is a Catholic and Tahir a Muslim there is a true understanding between them.

There will be a Q&A session on the production on 18 August at 2.20 pm. 

SHOW: THE SHAPE OF THINGS by SPL, C, Chambers Street
12 August 2009 - £9.50 

The Shape of Things is a comedy with a vicious twist. Neil LaBute, one of the most intriguing American playwrights today, is a moralist who indulges in polarising his audience and he often succeeds. Adam works in a museum in a small college town where he meets Evelyn, an art student, who wants to make a statement by spray painting a penis on a statue – her point being that the sculpture is already ruined because a vine leaf was plastered over the genitalia six years ago to placate the outraged town folk.

Two people could not be more different that the shy, insecure Adam and the self-confident artiste. As Adam and Evelyn become closer Adam changes in more ways than one. The dialogues are snappy and the action is fast paced – a most enjoyable production with impressive performances by the four young actors.  

Review by Carolin Kopplin

Edinburgh Fringe Website http://www.edfringe.com

SHOW: CRY FROM UNDERGROUND (TELL ME YOUR NAME)
New Town Theatre
11 Aug 09, £10.00 

Thorston Manderlay adapted Dostoevsky’s novella “Notes from the Underground” and successfully transferred it to the 21^st century. The themes of the novella – isolation, alienation and disgust with a self-obsessed society are as relevant today as in 1864.

The protagonist, an educated and intelligent man, finds himself in a culture of mediocrity where “brainless action men” suppress “clever mice”. The very people he despised at school and university have become high/flying lawyers and successful businessmen while he - who is far superior in intelligence - is rotting away in a hole, tormented by his landlord. Retired at the age of 40 because he had enough of working in a stupid, mindless job to pay the rent he has no prospects and little hope. After a particularly unpleasant evening the protagonist finds himself in a brothel where he meets the Russian prostitute Lisa. Having escaped from a miserable life in a nondescript rural town Lisa now finds herself trapped as an illegal sex worker. Will they be able to find a way out?

Thorston Manderlay gives a brilliant performance as the tormented protagonist who hides his sensitivity and capability for love behind the veneer of a sociopath. Anne Burns Walker is impressive as the young woman. 

Review by Carolin Kopplin

Visit the official Edinburgh Fringe website for more details and tickets:-
http://www.edfringe.com 

King Arthur by Siege Perilous

The Edinburgh based company Siege Perilous, well known for high quality adaptions of classical text as well as new writing, presents Lucy Nordberg's interpretation of King Arthur. The play is written in blank verse while using contemporary language, an intriguing combination.

King Arthur is an enlightened leader who decides to impose democracy on his people. Yet they will have to learn to rule themselves, and who will train them? Furthermore, a successor must be found as his marriage to Guinevere has remained childless. The Christian Arthur hopes to achieve peace with Morgan Le Fay who rules a Pagan border state by accepting his illegitimate son Mordred as heir to the throne. Mordred is trained for the role of a traditional king but in a democracy he would only be a figurehead. The confused teenager falls under the influence of power hungry factions in court who want the crown for themselves.

In this fine production the actors are present on stage all the time. The stage design is minimalist with a circular chequered floor and only few props. There are outstanding performances throughout, especially Jim Byars as Arthur, Paul Crommie as his antagonist Kay, Anne Kane Howie as Morgan Le Fay, and Allan Scott-Douglas as the scheming Breunor.