Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
3 stars
Gaelic theatre has had little platform of late, as grail-seeking aficionados favoured gurus from more exotic climes. In such a melee of discovery, work on our own doorstep is inevitably left to rot. This is something TAG’s new co-production with the An Lochran arts agency attempts to address by way of this part professional, part community exploration of popular feminism among a sector of society barely renowned for talking dirty, if at all, about life, love and the whole darn fishing smack.
At its centre are nine monologues, performed and, under the guidance of director Guy Hollands, fleshed out into ensemble pieces by the six young women who penned them. From the teacher reduced to using pet words for sexual organs, through bite-size portrayals of single motherhood, infidelity, motorway flirtation, the offloading of gender stereotypes via the hard sell of a perfect doll, and the quest for 21st century identity in an already alienated world, all life is contained in a series of confident, mature performances.
Framing this is an extended gag portrayed by Margaret Bennett, Kathleen MacInnes and Cathy Ann MacPhee as a trio of theatre-goers sharing sorority style intimacies involving sex, smears and the ultimate orgasm. Performed mainly in her native tongue, playwright Seonag Monk and community leaders Catriona Lexy Campbell and Elly Goodman have conspired to create a speak-easy platform which attempts to tap into the pan-generational anxieties of women today, wherever they might be from.
While there are no great insights on display, the company’s cheery presentation, without recourse to subtitles some might say are necessary in any none-English speaking work, is nevertheless a breezy getting of wisdom which may yet bear fruit.
The Herald, January 26th 2007
ends
3 stars
Gaelic theatre has had little platform of late, as grail-seeking aficionados favoured gurus from more exotic climes. In such a melee of discovery, work on our own doorstep is inevitably left to rot. This is something TAG’s new co-production with the An Lochran arts agency attempts to address by way of this part professional, part community exploration of popular feminism among a sector of society barely renowned for talking dirty, if at all, about life, love and the whole darn fishing smack.
At its centre are nine monologues, performed and, under the guidance of director Guy Hollands, fleshed out into ensemble pieces by the six young women who penned them. From the teacher reduced to using pet words for sexual organs, through bite-size portrayals of single motherhood, infidelity, motorway flirtation, the offloading of gender stereotypes via the hard sell of a perfect doll, and the quest for 21st century identity in an already alienated world, all life is contained in a series of confident, mature performances.
Framing this is an extended gag portrayed by Margaret Bennett, Kathleen MacInnes and Cathy Ann MacPhee as a trio of theatre-goers sharing sorority style intimacies involving sex, smears and the ultimate orgasm. Performed mainly in her native tongue, playwright Seonag Monk and community leaders Catriona Lexy Campbell and Elly Goodman have conspired to create a speak-easy platform which attempts to tap into the pan-generational anxieties of women today, wherever they might be from.
While there are no great insights on display, the company’s cheery presentation, without recourse to subtitles some might say are necessary in any none-English speaking work, is nevertheless a breezy getting of wisdom which may yet bear fruit.
The Herald, January 26th 2007
ends
Comments