Michael Cox reviews a series of one-man shows.
The one-man show. A stalwart at most theatre festivals if, for no other reason, than for their simplicity in staging and presentation. And yet, as with any form of theatre, the possibilities are endless.
Take One Night Stan (***), a loving tribute to Stan Laurel. The stage is nearly empty, save two tables, a coat-rack and several choice costumes and props. Simple, and yet effective enough to allow actor/writer Miles Gallant the opportunity to embody the great actor/filmmaker in a well-staged monologue.
However, its simplicity might also be its undoing, because the play feels like it could have done a lot ‘more’. Laurel was such a great physical presence (a point well-made within the play) that the opportunity for a bit more performance and less confessional would have been welcome, but it is played well and highly respectful to both the man and the double act that he became world-renowned for. It’s good, but Laurel and Hardy fans will probably take a bit more away from it than others.
Kafka and Son (****) is the exact opposite. Taking as its text a letter that the writer wrote to his overbearing father, the play is a theatrical triumph, mixing imaginative staging, clever design and energetic acting. Performances of Kafka can be shallow exercises in theory of absurdist practice, but here is an accessible production that is touching, funny and brilliantly performed by Alon Nashman. It will appeal to and impress any theatregoer, whether they are Kafka fans or not.
The biggest draw to Tuesdays at Tescos (***) is the star power of Simon Callow, for without him the play wouldn’t be much more than an interesting monologue about a transgender and her difficult relationship with her disapproving father. But with Callow at the helm, what should be an intimate small-scale play is brought to larger than life on the main stage at the Assembly Hall. Callow is a brilliant performer, and he brings both elegance and dramatic weight to a character who could have easily been caricaturized.
However, there is no disguising the fact that the play itself is lightweight stuff. There are many attempts to make it look grander than it is, including a clever post-modern set and live musical accompaniment, but without Callow the production would be dead in the water within five minutes. It is a testament to the brilliance of Callow’s art that the production feels much richer than it actually is.
Some productions try to pretend they are more than what they are. Jus’ Like That! (***) has no disillusions. All it wants to be is a tribute to the late great Tommy Cooper, and that’s all it is. No confessionals, history lessons or plot, just a live reenactment of an hour-long comedy set featuring most of the famous jokes and magic acts people associate with the comedian. A prologue set in Cooper’s dressing room promises to give a larger dimension to the proceedings, but this isn’t the case.
Actor Clive Mantle makes a convincing Cooper and seems to have as much fun as the audience does. It’s a commendable production for being a true love letter to Cooper, and it’s nice seeing the act in front of a live audience, but that’s it. Then again, that is enough.
There is an excellent idea behind Now is the Winter (***), a play that follows the events of Shakespeare’s Richard III through the eyes of his faithful cook. Star-struck and filled with hero worship, she believes her master can do no wrong and reenacts many of the play’s famous scenes and lines.
But therein is the problem, for while the idea of following a famous story from another vantage can be fun, even brilliant, this production is really an excuse for an actress to play the action of the male-dominated play. While Helen McGregor is very good, not only managing to hold the hour-long production well but also delivering the Bard’s lines with grace and passion, it plays more like a greatest hits compilation, and it is bound to be confusing to anyone not well-versed in Richard III.
What does successfully get the idea of reinterpreting a Shakespearian play is Guy Masterson’s excellent production of Shylock (****), a clever look at Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and, in particular, the much demonised titular character. Told through the eyes of Tubal (a character who, in the original, only has eight lines), Gareth Armstrong’s play brilliantly looks at the history behind Shakespeare’s tricky work, along with how Jews have been portrayed in theatre in general. It is informative, consistently engaging and very funny. It is also a master class in how to reinterpret a classic and works for everyone, from people who’ve never seen a Shakespearean play to academics. Do not miss it.
One Night Stan and Kafka and Son perform at the Assembly @ George Square. Tuesdays at Tescos, Jus' Like That!, Now is the Winter and Shylock perform at the Assembly @ Assembly Hall. All performances are on until August 29.
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