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Scenes Unseen

Tron Theatre, Glasgow
4 stars

There are hidden depths to this eight play compendium of unperformed
miniatures by established writers alongside new works by younger voices.
This is something to do with the way director Andy Arnold's
co-production between the Tron and New Inck Theatre weaves the plays
together into a fluid whole which actors Keith Fleming, Gavin Wright,
Brian Pettifer and Natalie Toyne navigate their way through on Kirsty
McCabe's multi-layered junkyard set.

It opens with Nimrod, Lynsey Murdoch's blackly comic look at two
astronomers waiting for miracles in the frozen north. This is followed
by Athol Fugard's A Conversation, in which a man and his daughter
attempt to understand each other while out bird-spotting. Lighten Up by
Andrew Stott focuses on a young couple attempting to rekindle their

relationship on a Sunday night in front of the TV. This is followed by
Ron and Julie, in which Alan Ayckbourn puts plenty of light, sound and
action into a typically playful love story between theatre technicians,
who act out their roles with gusto as their story is narrated
side-stage.

The second half begins with The Interview, JP Donleavy's Mad Men-era
portrait of a young man on the make, and ends with Patrick Marber's
Casting, a throwaway skit on effete TV producers attempting to cast the
greatest story ever told. In between comes Sand into Glass, Stef
Smith's poetic meditation told in three voices. Either side of that are
the two parts of Julie Tsang's The Sorry Story of the Angel and the
Bear, two linked monologues that reveal a litany of loss, pain,
domestic abuse and, in the male half of the play, tragic self-delusion
in a fascinating and thought-provoking evening.

The Herald, March 14th 2013

ends

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